Trials and Tribulations
by Twix3780
Summary: Stephen may be dead. But Sofi knows that her work is not finished. Anomalies are still occurring all over England, and she is a part of a small team that can do something about it. With many trials ahead, the tribulations that Sofi will have to face to finish what was started eighteen months ago in the Forest of Dean will be like nothing she has ever faced before. (Season 3)
1. Egyptian Crocodile

**Category:** TV Show » Primeval

**Author:** Twix3780

**Language:** English

**Rated:** T

**Genre:** Adventure/Sci-Fi

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Primeval.

**Author's Note:** Welcome to Season 3. This is the sequel to _Collision Course._

* * *

"_We've got another one._"

"Where?"

"_British Museum. Meet me there._"

Sofi frowned and looked around. The room she currently occupied was lit only by a dim light in a bracket on the wall, and the skies outside the high windows were dark. She hadn't realised the time until her phone had vibrated in her pocket and she had answered it.

"_Sof, you still there?_"

"You're telling me there is an anomaly open somewhere in the museum?"

"_Yes, why?_"

"Because I'm still here."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, and then Nick spoke again. His voice crackling as interference started to set in. "_Where are you exactly?_" he asked. "_We have units on the way to secure the perimeter._"

"I'm in one of the study rooms on the top floor," Sofi answered. "Jayden will know."

"_Okay. Stay put. I'll send Jayden to get you when we arrive._"

"You don't want me to try and secure the anomaly?"

"_No, Sofi, we don't know what's come through, if anything has, and we don't know how dangerous it is. Stay put and don't move until someone gets there. Do you understand?_"

Sofi sighed. "Yeah. I understand," she said.

"_Good. We're ten minutes out._"

The phone cut off and Sofi looked around the room. She knew why Nick didn't want her investigating the new anomaly that had opened. It had been two years ago today that they had buried Stephen Hart, a member of their team, and Nick's best friend. At least, he had been. The friendship had slowly deteriorated after Stephen had revealed his continuous relationship with Nick's estranged wife, Helen, and his inability to realise she had been manipulating him to get what she wanted from the ARC.

Stephen had died as a result of Helen's actions. He had been killed by several predators, of different origins, and laid to rest in London cemetery a week later. Sofi could still remember the day like it was yesterday. It had been a quiet affair; Stephen's family had been there, and to say they had questions would've been an understatement, unfortunately, Stephen had died whilst investigating an official secret protected by the Government, which meant the answers his family received were as far from the truth.

While Sofi didn't agree with the way the Hart family had been handled, she had also signed the Official Secrets Act, and therefore couldn't intervene in their course of actions. She just had to accept that Stephen's family would never know the truth about his death, and it would always be labelled an 'accident'.

_**Bang! Crash! Thud!**_

Sofi looked up as the sound of echoes reached her ears. The door leading out of her room remained shut, but it rattled in its frame. The wood shook so violently that Sofi was sure it would splinter; whatever had come through the anomaly had seemingly climbed the stairs and was outside her door. She held her breath and listened hard, trying her very best to hear any give away signs.

There was nothing.

No growls, roars or snorts to indicate that an animal was outside.

The silence was almost deafening, and Sofi slowly let out her breath. Her lungs ached and she clutched her phone tightly in her hands. It had cut off previously, and she had put it down to interference from the anomaly, but now, as she checked the screen, ready to call Nick to see where he was exactly, she realised that the phone battery had died. She cursed herself for not bring her portable phone charger with her, and simply resigned to tossing the phone into her backpack.

The light on the wall flickered. It was the only thing moving, aside from her.

"It's just down here... first door on the left... that's the one. Sofi?"

Sofi sighed in relief and crossed the room to the door. She could hear Jayden's voice from the other side and quickly opened it to reveal her best friend and boyfriend, Captain Tom Ryan, on the other side. Both looked relieved to see her.

"I thought you would've gone home by now," said Jayden. "Have you been doing research all this time?"

"I've had permission from the museum director to stay here as long as I needed," said Sofi. "Honestly, I didn't realise the time until Nick called."

"We tried to call you when we arrived," said Ryan. "You weren't answering. Why?"

"Battery died."

Ryan seemed happy with the answer, although he still looked nervous.

Sofi frowned. "What?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

"There's a body downstairs," said Jayden. "We were relieved to learn that it wasn't you, but... when you didn't answer."

Sofi nodded. She could understand their fears. Especially when you understood her wrap sheet. She had never been one to stay put, even if it was Professor Nick Cutter giving her the order. She'd always been a curious child, and ever since starting on the Anomaly project, her curiosity had got her into some rather difficult situations.

"Did you identify the body at least?"

Jayden shook his head. "We're hoping you may know her," he said.

"Then show me."

With Jayden in the lead, Ryan placed a hand on the small of Sofi's back and escorted her downstairs. The study rooms were on the topmost floor of the museum, meaning that they had two sets of stairs to climb down before reaching the main floor. There, waiting for them, after a thorough search of the museum, were the rest of the ARC team, including the new Head of Security - Captain Becker.

"Sofi," Becker said, smiling. "Long time."

"Good to see you, too, H," said Sofi, reaching up to kiss his cheek. Becker was more than just the new Head of Security at the ARC, he was also her older, adoptive brother. The two had been together since Sofi was eight years old. His mother and father had originally fostered Sofi and later adopted her. Despite her not wanting to take their name as her own, they still treated her as their child.

Professor Nick Cutter beckoned Sofi to his side. "Do you know her?" he asked, pointing at the body of an older female on the floor. She had short, blonde hair, and was of medium build.

Sofi swallowed and nodded. "Her name's Marion," she said. "She's a curator here at the Museum. She must've been attacked on her way up to me. I knew I had heard something. She must've tried to escape and the creature followed her. Where is it? Do we know what it is?"

Nick shook his head. "No. We've searched this whole place, there's no sign of an incursion," he said. "Do you know of any other places other than the study rooms and the first two floors?"

"The basement?" Sofi asked. "There's a loading dock leading to the back of the museum. It's where the shipments come and go from."

Nick turned to Ryan and Becker. "We need that place secured, immediately," he said.

"On it," Becker said, taking off with a few of his men.

Sofi turned away from Marion and took the offered ADD handheld from Abby. "Thanks," she said.

"What exactly where you doing here so late?" Connor asked. "I didn't think anyone was allowed in the museum, aside from paid staff, after closing time."

"Normally they aren't," said Sofi. "But, my adopted father, John, and the museum director are old friends. John called him up and explained that I was doing a research paper, and needed the museum's help, and it resulted in me getting unsupervised access to the study rooms."

"Lucky!" Connor whined.

Sofi smiled and shook her head.

"Did you find anything relevant?" Nick asked.

"A few things," said Sofi. "You were right to think that myths and legends could be based on dinosaur fossils. A few fossils that have been found together, but ended up being from different dinosaurs, are the reasons we have mythological creatures like dragons."

Nick smiled. "Considering changing thesis?" he teased.

"Ah, I wish," said Sofi, smiling. "There's already a myths and legends thesis published. A Doctor Sarah Paige published a few years ago. She's currently in Montana unearthing another Dinosaur fossil. I'd have loved to been able to talk to her, if possible, but still..." she shrugged.

Static over Ryan's radio caused the Captain to walk away. He returned seconds later, looking grave. "Becker found something," he said. "The anomaly has been secured, but the creature managed to take a bite out of one of his men before escaping."

"It's outside the museum?" Sofi asked.

"Museum workers opened the loading dock and it got out," Ryan confirmed.

Sofi looked to Cutter. "That's not good," she said. "We need to find it, fast."

Nick nodded. "You stay here with Connor," he instructed. "Get me a reading from the anomaly, and profile me some creatures. Abby, you and I are going to try and find this thing before it can attack anyone else."

"I have to get back to the ARC," said Jenny. "I'll inform Lester."

Nick nodded and, along with Abby, headed for the front doors. Jenny followed but departed ways with the pair once in the carpark. Meanwhile, Sofi, Ryan, Connor, and Jayden headed downstairs to the basement. Becker and his men were waiting, one of them, Rob Lewis, was supporting a nasty bite on his leg.

**~X~**

With Lewis' leg all bandaged up, Sofi returned to Becker. He had been fully briefed by Ryan, but she still had some questions for him. "Do you remember what it looked like?" she asked. "Anything is helpful. Size, colour, even a modern-day creature it could resemble."

"It looked like a crocodile," said Becker. "But it was bigger. A lot bigger."

"That's good," said Sofi. "From the wound and bite marks on Rob's legs, I should be able to run a diagnostic on the creature. Connor, any luck on finding out what era it's come from?"

Connor was kneeling beside what Sofi had called the Sun Cage. It was an Egyptian landmark created by ancient Egyptians aeons ago. The monument had been studied by many scientists, palaeontologists, and archaeologist for years, but none of them had been able to figure out what the Sun Cage had been created for.

"I'm just about -" Connor cut off as the wrench inside his case collided with the side of the Sun Cage, knocking off a large slab from the breastplate of an Anubis. He paled and glanced around, meeting Sofi's eye.

Sofi stared, open-mouthed at her friend. She knew that it wasn't completely his fault. The anomaly always attracted metallic things, and the wrench was no different. But Connor knew this, too, and had failed to remember that he had packed the wrench. If he had remembered, maybe he wouldn't have opened the case so close to the anomaly.

"I can't be blamed for that, right?" Connor asked, nervously. "I mean, the anomaly -"

"You know Lester won't care for excuses," said Sofi, shaking her head. "He also won't be paying for any damages caused. He'll probably just take it out of your wages this month."

"But that could be all of it! Maybe even next months!"

Sofi shrugged. "What do you want me to do?" she asked. "I didn't break it."

"Neither did I!" Connor protested. "Maybe we can stick it back on?"

"With what?"

"I don't know," Connor said, clearly panicked. "You're the genius. Surely, you can think of something, right?"

Sofi shook her head. "Connor, this is an inexpensive monument that was loaned to the British Museum from Egypt," she explained. "It was created aeons ago out of materials that are worth more than what you and I make in a week. I don't think there is anything that I could come up with that can fix this."

Looking rejected, Connor looked down at the slab of stone in his hand and moaned. His morning was not off to a good start.

Turning away, Sofi bit back a grin and headed over to her laptop. Jayden and a few other men had been sent upstairs to collect her personal belongings and return to them to the loading dock. They had just dropped the items off when Connor had destroyed the Sun Cage and were now back patrolling the perimeter.

"You being cruel to Connor again?" Jayden asked.

"Not exactly," said Sofi. "But he needs to learn that there are consequences to his actions. Don't worry, I'll fix the Sun Cage after we've finished here. Maybe we'll get lucky. Now that an anomaly as opened up inside it, there is a good chance it will be taken off display. We can't risk it happening again."

Jayden nodded. "Do you think the anomaly and the Sun Cage may be linked?" he asked. "Or has it just been stored in a place where the anomaly usually would open? You know, if we moved the Sun Cage, would the anomaly stay put?"

Sofi cocked her head to the side and glanced back at the Sun Cage. That was an idea she hadn't considered. "I guess we could try and see," she said. "If the Sun Cage is just resting on a spot where the anomaly should open then I see no reason why it can't continue to be on display. We'd just need to monitor the museum for possible re-openings."

"But how do we check?" Jayden asked. "Can we move the Sun Cage?"

"It would take a lot of effort," said Sofi. She chewed her lower lip and swept her gaze from the Sun Cage and around the area. She wasn't sure what she was looking for exactly, but she had a feeling she would know it when she saw it.

As Sofi considered her next move, Jayden wandered away. He hadn't gone far, however, when Sofi was calling him back. "I have an idea," she said, grabbing two miniature statues of cats and handing them to him. "Put these there and there," she pointed at the floor.

While Jayden did as he was told, Sofi moved two crates closer to the Sun Cage and then set up a pharaoh's staff as a looking glass. She peered through the hole at the top of the staff just as Ryan, Becker and Connor wandered over.

"What's going on?" Connor asked.

"I'm testing a theory," said Sofi. "I could use your help, all three of you."

Connor, Ryan, and Becker shared a confused look.

"Don't look so scared," Sofi said, smiling. She led them over to where Jayden was stationed, waiting for her. He had managed to secure ropes to the side of the Sun Cage and handed one each to the others as they took up stations either side.

"This is going to be heavy," said Jayden.

"I only want to move it a couple of inches," said Sofi.

"It's still going to be heavy."

Sofi rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless. "Less talking more pulling," she said, tugging at the monument. The others joined her and, with as much strength as they could muster, managed to move the Sun Cage a few millimetres to the left.

Breathing heavily, Connor dropped the rope and bent over, resting his hands on his knees. "Do you feel like cluing me in on what you're doing?" he asked.

Ignoring him, Sofi run back to the staff and peered through the hole. She grinned and bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. "Well, I have good news and I have bad news," she said, looking back at the others. They were still confused at her actions.

"What's the bad news?" Jayden asked.

"The bad news is that this exhibit has probably been displayed for the last time," said Sofi. "The good news is, your theory about whether the anomaly is inside the Sun Cage, is true. Now I need to figure out how and why."

Jayden paused, thinking. "Wait, you're saying that when we moved the Sun Cage, we moved the anomaly, too?" he asked.

Sofi nodded at the staff. "See for yourself," she said, stepping aside.

Jayden took her place, his eyes widening as he saw she was telling the truth. "That's amazing!" he said.

"What?" Connor asked, rushing over. He, too, peered through the staff and then pulled back to stare at Sofi. "What stone is the Sun Cage made of, do you know?" he asked.

Looking up at the monument, Sofi run her hand over it's cool, smooth, black surface. "I think it's magnetite," she said.

"What's magnetite?" Jayden asked.

"It's the most magnetic of all the naturally-occurring minerals on Earth," said Sofi. "Connor, this could explain why the wrench collided with the Sun Cage. It had nothing to do with the anomaly."

Connor groaned. Knowing this did not make him feel any better about destroying a historical monument. He was still looking at thousands in repairs, and possibly not being paid for months while Lester dealt with the red tape.

"What do these symbols mean?" Jayden asked.

Sofi shrugged. "I'm not an archaeologist, so I don't know," she said.

"So, what do we do now?" Becker asked.

"Connor still needs to take a reading from the anomaly so that I can start my search," said Sofi, looking around at her friend. Connor nodded and wandered away. "Meanwhile, I'm going to call Nick - can I borrow your phone?" she asked Ryan.

Ryan handed the phone over and Sofi returned to her computer. She was in the process of setting up her software when Ryan sat beside her. "Your theory," he said. "You believe that the Egyptians built the Sun Cage out of magnetite because it was the only way they could contain the anomaly?"

"Maybe they didn't know it was an anomaly," said Sofi.

"What else could it have been?"

Sofi shrugged. "They called it the Sun Cage for a reason," she said. "Maybe they thought the anomaly was something to do with the sun, itself. I mean, one of the first monotheistic religions in Egypt at this time was called _Atenism_; its literal translation is Sun Worship. They had a sun god called Ra, and even had deities associated with it, too. They probably called it the Sun Cage because they thought that the rays of the sun were locked inside, and building it out of magnetite makes it so that wherever the sun cage goes, the anomaly goes, too."

Ryan smiled.

"What?" Sofi asked.

"You're brilliant, you know that?" said Ryan. He stood and leaned over, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Sofi laughed and turned away, just as Connor raced over with Becker in tow. He tossed her the phone, which was open and connected to a call. "Nick?" she asked.

"_Tell me you've got something, Sof,_" said Nick.

"Uh," Sofi hesitated and turned to Connor. "Did you get a reading from the anomaly yet?" she asked.

Connor nodded. "Whatever came through it is at least 55 million years old," he said.

"That's either the Palaeocene and Eocene periods," said Sofi.

"_Yeah, it's fast, it's strong, it switches from two legs to four, and it's carnivorous_," said Nick.

Placing the phone on the box beside her computer, Sofi started to type into the database. "If we fill in the pieces that we have - Palaeocene/Eocene epochs and crocodilian DNA, strong, quadrupedal, carnivore - I should have a profile back in about..." she checked her watch, "ten minutes?"

"_Okay. Call me as soon as you get something._"

"Yeah, no prob - wait, what's that? Cutter, is that a car alarm?"

"_We're heading south towards the Thames_," said Nick. "_I think we've got it."_

"Nick, be careful!" Sofi called. "We don't know what we're dealing with!"

The line went dead and Sofi wasn't 100% sure her warning had gone through. She stared at her phone, terror building inside her, before looking around at those left.

"I'm going," said Becker, meeting Sofi's gaze. He squeezed her shoulder and pressed a swift kiss to her head. "Calm down," he whispered before leaving.

Sofi took a deep, shuddering breath as she turned back to her computer. She felt Ryan behind her and leaned back into him as he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close.

"They'll be okay," Ryan reassured her, pressing another kiss to her temple.

"I know, I just..." Sofi trailed off, shaking her head. "After Stephen... nothing feels safe anymore. It's like, everything's changed."

Ryan nodded in understanding.

Closing her eyes, Sofi swallowed hard and then reopened them. She still had a job to do, and the more she spent it worrying about Nick, Abby and Becker, the less she had on profiling the creature that had escaped into London. If she didn't do her job right then a lot more innocent people were going to be killed.

**~X~**

The sounds of Connor's yell still echoed around inside her head. Sofi hadn't been present when the initial attack had happened, but she had heard it. One minute the loading dock had been still and silent, she and Ryan were at her computer profiling some creatures, Connor was monitoring the anomaly site while Jayden was patrolling the perimeter keeping a lookout for potential dangers from the public and the creature that was still at large; then it had happened.

There had been a roar, a growl, and Connor had started screaming. Abandoning her work, Sofi had followed Ryan across the basement and towards the sun cage, only to find Connor in the locked jaws of a massive crocodile. It was larger than any of the modern-day crocs that Sofi had seen in sanctuaries and on the TV, this one was a prehistoric creature. But the fun didn't stop there, not only had Connor latched on to a nearby soldier's gun, the rest of the team were preparing to shoot.

"No!" Sofi yelled, lunging forward. "Don't shoot it!"

"What?" Officer Cadet Nelson asked. He had just aimed when Sofi had shouldered her way past and was now standing between him and the giant predator that as threatening to eat one of her best friends.

"Just find something to get it to let go," said Sofi. "Quickly!"

Nelson stared at Sofi, confused, while all around him the rest of the soldiers searched for something to use. Finally another Officer Cadet - Jamerson - slammed a wooden paddle down on the creatures head. It released Connor and he stumbled forward into Sofi's waiting arms.

The creature reared back, disappearing for a brief second, before lunging out of the anomaly again. Its claws scratched at the monument and its roars reverberated around the loading dock.

"What do we do if we can't shoot it?" Connor asked.

"Watch out!" Jayden called. He hooked his rifle over his shoulder and grabbed a nearby light, using it to hit the creature and try to knock it back through the anomaly. He jolted as the creature's jaws clamped down around the light, causing an electrical impulse to shoot down the line, into the creature and through the anomaly.

The creature released the light and fell back, and the anomaly became a sealed sphere, just twirling inside the cage.

Sofi and Connor shared confused frowns. This was new. Normally an anomaly just sucked anything metal straight through. Why was this any different?

"It's the electric current," said Connor. "The electric current must have done something to it."

Sofi's eyes widened as the anomaly unlocked and returned to its natural state. "I think we need to secure the anomaly more safely," she said. "We can figure out what the electric current did to it later."

Connor nodded in agreement.

_**Beep. Beep. Beep.**_

"My results are back," said Sofi, dashing away. She scanned the screen as she reached her laptop and grinned. "Yes!"

"What did you find?" Ryan asked, wandering over.

"Pristichampsus," Sofi answered. She scanned the creature from nose to tail tip as more data was given back to her. "Oh yeah, this is the guy." Suddenly Connor's phone buzzed from beside the computer, Sofi checked the ID and quickly answered it. "Nick, are you okay?"

"_Yeah, Sof, we're all right,_" Nick answered. "_We got your warning. Sorry, didn't mean to hang up on you._"

"As long as you're all okay, I don't care."

"_Do you have anything for me?_"

"I know what the creature is."

"_I think I do, too._"

"Of course you do, you're the Professor," said Sofi, smiling. "But, on the off chance, our conclusions are not the same. The database says we're looking at -"

"_Pristichampsus._"

"Way to steal my thunder," Sofi whined.

Nick chuckled. "_How's things going back there?_" he asked.

"Oh, you know," said Sofi, shrugging half-heartedly and looking over to where Connor and Jayden were surrounding the Sun Cage with crates and boxes. "The usual. Being attacked by prehistoric crocodiles. But it's all in a days work, right?"

"_You be careful, Sof._"

The line went dead and Sofi turned to Ryan. He was watching her carefully. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just still not used to how you can sound so casual in the face of impending danger," said Ryan.

Sofi smiled and kissed him. "You'd think after two years, you'd be used to it," she said.

**~X~**

Connor huffed and puffed as he lugged a heavy box over to the Sun Cage. After she had informed Nick of her findings, Sofi and himself, along with Captain Ryan and Jayden had been sealing the anomaly with crates and boxes. It wasn't very effective, but they needed a way to keep the creatures out.

"This is all taking too long," Connor panted, lifting a heavy box above his head and sliding it onto the wooden barricade.

"What about the forklift?" Sofi suggested,

Connor stopped and turned in the direction she was pointing. He closed his eyes and then turned back to Sofi. "Why didn't you say that before?" he asked.

"What?" Sofi asked. "I wasn't exactly thinking 'forklift' in amongst everything else that's happened today."

Connor rolled his eyes and turned back to the forklift. He hadn't taken a step forward when one of the boxes crashed down on top of him and the giant jaws of another Pristichampus leered out from behind the barricade.

"Connor!" Sofi screamed.

The sound of pounding footsteps raced around the barricade, and Ryan arrived with the rest of his men. Their guns drawn and ready to fire should they need too. But the creature had disappeared again, it's jaws and snout returned through the anomaly and Connor sat at the base of the barricade looking a little dazed.

"How many of those things are there?" Officer Nelson asked.

Sofi shook her head. "There could be hundreds," she answered. "We need to finish this barricade, fast. It's not ideal, but it's all we can do to protect ourselves."

"We could shoot them," said Nelson.

"That's not even an option!" Sofi said, turning to him.

"These things are trying to kill us and you want us to play fair?"

Sofi turned fully to face the soldier. "They're not trying to kill anyone," she said. "They're animals. They're just trying to survive. To them, we're a threat, which is why they're reacting the way they are. You'd do the same if you were threatened. Our job is to predict and contain anomalies, not kill the creatures that come through."

Nelson huffed and returned to his patrol.

"You know how to piss off a soldier, don't you?" Jayden teased.

"Unlike you two and Becker," said Sofi, turning to her best friend and Ryan. "The others seem to have tunnel vision."

"Plus, they haven't been with us long enough," said Connor. He was in the process of pushing himself off the floor, a hand on the top of his head.

Sofi winced as Connor did. "You okay?" she asked.

"A little sore," Connor whined. He pulled his hand away from the top of his head and sighed. It wasn't bleeding, thankfully.

"It's probably bruised," said Sofi. "You sure you can continue?"

Connor nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

"All right. But if you start to feel dizzy, then you sit down, okay?" said Sofi. "You could have a mild concussion."

"Promise," Connor said, reassuringly.

Sofi nodded and the pair returned to what they had been doing before the attack.

**~X~**

It didn't take that long to put up the barricade. Once it was finished, Sofi and Connor leaned against the side and slipped to the floor. They were both panting heavily, and their arms and upper body ached from exhaustion.

"Finally," Connor sighed.

Sofi whined and rested her head on his shoulder. She was suddenly very tired.

Connor groaned as his phone beeped from inside his pocket. He pulled it out and stared at the screen. "It's Nick," he said, accepting the call and putting it on speaker.

_"Pristichampus is heading back your way,_" said Nick. "_So make sure it can get to the anomaly._"

The line went dead before either Connor or Sofi could protest.

"You've got to be joking!" Sofi grumbled.

"He didn't sound like he was joking," Connor said. He looked up at the barricade and then down at Sofi. "It's following its scent trail, right?"

Sofi shrugged. "Probably," she said, nodding. "I mean, how else is it supposed to know the way back here?"

"Then only one side of the barricade needs to come down," said Connor.

"Yeah, the one opposite to where we're sitting. We still have to get up."

Connor laughed. "It shouldn't take us too long to take the barricade down," he said. He stood, with a small groan, and held his hand out to Sofi. "You can rest once we've put this creature back."

Sofi sighed and took his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet. "Fine," she grumbled.

As they explained the situation to Jayden and Ryan, both of whom, like Sofi, did not look or sound impressed, the four got to work tearing down one side of the barricade. Connor and Jayden jumped up onto the top boxes once several had been removed, and were in the process of lifting the others down to Ryan and Sofi on the ground level.

"It's coming through the loading doors," said Connor, carefully passing another box to Sofi. "We need to get that open."

Sofi set the box down beside the forklift and then run over to the doors. She hit the 'up' button on the wall and squatted down to see try and see where Pristichampus was. She scanned the loading bay outside, but couldn't see a creature. Given the size of the Pristichapmus, she was sure that she wouldn't miss it.

"Connor, I don't see it!" Sofi called.

The sound of a door crashing open caused Sofi to straighten up and look around.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Connor said. He was standing on the top of the barricade and looking behind him. "Sofi, it's come through the other door!"

"What?" Sofi screeched. "How's that possible?"

Connor didn't answer and disappeared from view as he jumped down from the barricade. Sofi raced back, just in time to find herself face-to-face with the prehistoric reptile. It snarled at her, and then looked up at Connor as he tried to get away by scaling the barricade with the help of a metal chain.

"Sofi, move out of the way."

Sofi looked behind her to see Nick, Abby, Jenny, Becker, and a load of soldiers. Their guns were poised and aimed at the prehistoric crocodile.

"Don't shoot it," Sofi warned Becker.

"It's my job to keep you alive," Becker told her.

Sofi shook her head. "You'll do more damage than good if you kill it," she argued. "Trust me."

Nick placed his hand on Sofi's shoulder.

"Please just get it back through, guys," said Connor, his voice strained as he tried to cling onto the metal chain. But after an hour of putting up and taking down a barricade, his strength was failing him. "I don't know how long I can hold on."

Sofi shook her head as she tried to remember everything she had read on Pristichampus. The Egyptians had considered them gods and made regular sacrifices to them once a month to appease their needs. Pristichampus looked like the demon goddess Ammut, and Ammut was also known as 'Dweller in Amenta' or the 'Devourer of Amenta'.

"Bow," said Sofi, suddenly.

Nick looked curious.

"Pristichampus was known as Ammut in Ancient Egypt," said Sofi. "Ammut was an Egyptian demoness. She was known as the 'Eater of Hearts' because she was the demoness of punishment. Egyptian's would have treated her as a god, and they would've bowed to show their respects."

"It doesn't think we're a threat, it might not attack," said Abby.

Becker glanced sideways at Sofi and Nick. "I'm not bowing," he said.

"Get down on the floor," Nick ordered.

"What?" Becker asked.

"Do it," Nick said. "Keep the gun handy."

Sofi maintained eye contact with Pristichampus as she, and the others lowered themselves to their knees, and bowed their heads, all the while keeping the creature in their sights. Pristichampus prowled forward, it's snout less than an inch away from the team. It then turned its great head towards the Sun Cage, pulled its bulky body up the barricade, and through the anomaly.

The anomaly then closed with a snap.

The team released a breath and Nick nudged Sofi. "Good call," he praised.

"Thanks," Sofi said, smiling. She stood and walked over to Connor as his strength finally gave out and he hit the ground with a thud. He groaned and took her hand, allowing her to drag him back to his feet. "Can I rest now?"

Connor laughed and hugged her.

**~X~**

Once back at the ARC, Nick and Sofi walked side-by-side down the main hallway into the Ops room. They passed Sofi's lab where a small yapping sound came from beneath the desk. Sofi smiled and opened the door, as a small head appeared at the leg.

"Hey, Topaz," Sofi smiled, squatting down and scooping up the medium-sized pup that bound towards her. Topaz was around the size of a three-month-old German Shepherd but had light grey fur instead of black and brown. He was also a lot skinnier than most dogs alive.

Nick couldn't help but smile as the pup craned its neck and licked Sofi's face, making her laugh. "What did I tell you about getting attached to that thing?" he asked as they carried on.

"It's not my fault," Sofi defended. "Besides, you wouldn't let me keep one of the Dodo's."

"You planned to return the creatures safely to their place in time," said Nick.

Sofi made a face. "Yeah, but Topaz is different," she said. "He was the runt of his litter. If he had made it back through then he would've died without help."

"Circle of life, Sof," said Nick.

"If you start singing then I'm going to walk away."

Nick chuckled and pushed open the door to the Main Operations hub. "I want you to set up a research programme into magnetite," he said, returning the conversation to their previous topic. "I want to know it's effect on anomalies, how the electricity can be used to lock them."

"I can do the first one," said Sofi. "But, you'd have a better chance of asking Connor about locking the anomalies."

"Then work together," said Nick.

Sofi saluted and left the Main Ops hub in search of Connor. She found him in the lab adjacent to Nick's office. "Having fun?" she asked, watching his scrawl on the clear board dividing the room.

Startled, Connor jumped and dropped the marker. Topaz yapped and dived out of Sofi's arms, sliding under the table to recapture the pen.

Connor and Sofi laughed.

"I looked for you in your lab, you weren't there," said Connor.

Sofi nodded. "Nick wanted to see me about magnetite," she said. "He wants us to work together on a new project."

"Ooh. I'm game," Connor grinned. "What new project?"

As Sofi filled Connor in on Nick's plan, the man in question, along with Lester, arrived in the room next door. Sofi could hear them discussing her research papers and stepped through the adjoining door to join them.

"Today's anomaly simply confirms my research," said Sofi. "Today's creature - Pristichampus - is what the Egyptians would've believed to be Ammut. It was a genuine living legend, and there is so much more."

Both men turned their undivided attention to her.

"Take the Taniwha, for example," said Sofi.

"The what?" Lester questioned.

"It's the New Zealand version of the Loch Ness Monster," Sofi explained. "On April 25, 1977, a Japanese trawler called the Zuiyō Maru was sailing east of Christchurch, New Zealand when it caught sight of a strange, unknown creature in the trawl. The crew were convinced that it was an unidentified animal, but despite the potential biological significance of the curious discovery, the captain decided to dump the carcass back into the ocean. Before he did this, several images were taken of the creature. including measurements, and some samples of its skeleton, skin and fins. It led to an immense commotion and a "plesiosaur-craze" in Japan."

Lester sighed, agitated. He hadn't come into Cutter's office for storytime.

"A Professor from the Yokohama National University was convinced that the remains were of a supposedly extinct plesiosaur," Sofi continued, despite Lester's great disinterest. "And a Doctor from Tokyo's University of Marine Science and Technology agreed."

"Is there a point to all this?" Lester asked, folding his arms.

Sofi resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "It was concluded, thereafter, that while the identity of the carcass could not be determined with certainty, it was most likely that of a large shark. But, despite this, the legend of Taniwha had already been created. People throughout the world had heard about this adventure, and people started creating stories of Taniwha's. They were described as looking like giant lizards, or even reptile-like sea serpents. The images that accompany these descriptions, even look like Plesiosaurus."

Taking Nick's phone from the desk, Sofi showed an image of a Plesiosaur to Lester.

"They're a group of long-neck marine reptiles found as fossils from the Late Triassic Period into the Late Cretaceous Period (215 million to 80 million years ago)," said Sofi, closing the phone and handing it back to Nick. "They had a wide distribution in European seas and around the Pacific Ocean, including Australia, North America, and Asia."

"And you're point?" Lester asked, still not understanding.

Sofi sighed. "My point is, despite the field of associating fossils with mythology still being very young, five years, to be exact," she said. "It is possible that Ancient Myths and Legends were inspired by fossils that people found and didn't quite understand what they were or where they had come from. Many bones discovered belonged to several different dinosaurs, and while the people who found them didn't realise that yet, they just assumed they were from the same creature, and that's where are mythological creatures come from."

Lester blinked and looked to Nick.

"What Sofi is saying is that anything that seems out of place, out of time, like Chimera, Pegasus, the Yeti, even the Hydra and the Kraken. We've been looking at the anomalies all wrong, we've only been thinking two-dimensionally when we should've been looking further afield."

Sofi nodded. "It was you that started me on this thread, Professor," she said. "The Sarcopterygian fossil you have in your office. You said that you were interested in the pieces that didn't fit, like how something that had been extinct for 70 million years could just suddenly pop up in the middle of the Indian Ocean. That's when I started thinking that maybe it came through an underwater anomaly."

Nick stood and took Sofi by the shoulders. "You're brilliant," he said, grinning. "Brilliant." He paused and then shook his head. "I've changed my mind about setting you a new project. Connor can focus on the Magnetite and anomaly locking angle, I want you to continue your research on the source of great myths. Where they were first spotted, when, by who. Can you find a pattern?"

"Okay," Sofi said, nodding feverishly. "There's just one other thing that we need to do."

"What's that?" Nick asked.

"The Sun Cage."

"What about it?" Lester asked. "The anomaly's closed. It might not open for another 3,000 years, if ever."

Sofi turned to her boss. "But you can't guarantee that," she said.

"She's right," said Nick. "We can't guarantee that the anomaly won't reopen again any time soon. It can't be put on public display any more."

"Happily, that's not our decision to make," said Lester, collecting a set of papers from the desk. "The Culture Minister tells me that the exhibition's moving on."

As Lester left the office, Nick turned back to Sofi. The Sun Cage moving on with a possible active anomaly was not good.

"I'll call John," said Sofi. "Maybe there is something he can do."


	2. The Past Resurfaces

"Whoa! Please tell me this all means something?"

Sofi looked up from her work station and smiled at the surprised tone in Jenny's voice. The older brunette had just entered the evidence lab were Connor, Sofi, and Nick had gathered, each one informing the other and inputting data into the new Anomaly Matrix.

"This is a 3-D model representing all known anomalies throughout history," Connor explained.

Jenny glanced over the matrix before turning to Sofi. "You've been studying this for the past two years?" she asked.

"Not all of it," said Sofi. "I just researched mythical beasts and how they affect different cultures around the world. Like, the Inkanyamba from South Africa. This," she nodded at the Matrix, "is all Nick."

"And I guess that where there's a myth, we'll find an anomaly," said Nick. He was standing in the middle of the matrix, holding another pole in his hands. "Now, all we have to do is date these myths accurately."

"Like a road map of time," Connor summarized.

"Then we can start to predict where and when new anomalies might start to open," Nick added, sliding his pole between two others. He stood and hooked in in place with a large black clip.

Creeping closer, Sofi peered at the first clip beneath the new pole. She checked the date and time on her iPad and quickly jotted it down on a new slip of paper, adding it to the second clip.

"Call me stupid, but, um, couldn't we have done all this on a computer?" Jenny asked.

"I did start," said Sofi. "But the data input was too much for my hard drive to handle, and I can't afford more at the moment. This way is more tangible, and makes for easier interpretation."

Jenny cocked her head to the side.

"It makes them feel more like god," Connor explained.

Sofi rolled her eyes and ducked out of the Matrix.

"You know, Connor, you might be right," said Nick, looking up. "But, if I'm not mistaken, we just made our first prediction."

"Getting the coordinates now," said Sofi, returning to her laptop.

**~X~**

After triple checking the prediction against her findings and the coordinates, Sofi headed out into the Main Ops room with Nick. Sitting at their desks working, for a change, were Connor and Abby, while Jenny stood nearby with Becker and Ryan.

"All right, listen up," Nick called, earning himself everyone's attention. "We've analyzed the most recent anomalies and put them into the model. The prediction is specific and local, but there's a problem. It could happen tomorrow, or it could happen many years from now."

"I thought your calculations were usually spot-on, Sof?" Jayden asked, wandering over with one of the new SAS recruits. He was a young lad, only eighteen, and fresh out of the Sandhurst Academy. His name was Cadet Officer Williams.

Sofi shot him a look. "Some anomalies come back and some don't," she said. "I can't be perfect all the time."

Jayden chuckled and Sofi smiled.

"What do you want us to do?" Jenny asked Nick.

"I want you to go check it out, and take Sid and Nancy with you," Nick said whilst pointing at Connor and Abby. The pair paused and shared a look, their eyes flittering over their choice of clothing.

Sofi smiled at the pair.

"How come she doesn't get a nickname?" Connor asked, nodding at Sofi.

"Maybe because I'm not going," said Sofi.

"What? Why?" Connor asked. "Don't you want to see if your hard work has paid off?"

Sofi shrugged. "You don't keep dogs and bark yourself, Connor," she teased. "Besides, haunted houses are not my thing."

"Did you say 'haunted houses'?" Abby asked.

"Yep. The place is just off Rookwood Road," said Sofi, handing over the coordinates. "I looked it up. It's an old Tudor house that's been abandoned for almost ten years. Local legend is that the place is haunted, but it has never been proven true."

Abby grinned and she passed the coordinates to Jenny. "Cool," she said.

Connor only grimaced.

"The Military should handle this," said Becker, asserting himself into the conversation.

Jenny shook her head. "No, no, Cutter's right, we'll go," she said.

"Anything happens, you call either me or Sofi, understand?" Nick asked.

"Crystal," said Jenny with a nod.

Cutter turned and left the Main Ops area.

"Why does it have to be a creepy abandoned place?" Connor whined, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair.

Sofi hugged her binder to her chest. "You're the guy that watches _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ on repeat, and you're afraid of abandoned houses?" she asked.

"_Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ is fictional," Connor defended.

"Hate to rain on your parade, Connor, but while most of the film's plot was largely fictional, some minor story details and the character of Leather-face were inspired by crimes of murderer Ed Gein."

"Not helping," said Connor.

Sofi nudged him as he passed. "You'll be fine," she said. "Although, if two little girls' suddenly appear asking you to play, you have my permission to turn tail and run."

"You're not funny," said Connor, his eyes wide.

"Depends on your point of view," said Sofi.

"Connor, come on!" Abby called, disappearing out in the hallway with Jenny. Connor made a small whimper and followed after them, leaving Sofi to smile and wave.

As the trio left, Jayden wandered over to Sofi. "You're mean," he said.

Sofi laughed. "Don't tell me you believe in haunted houses?" she asked.

"You do this job and you're telling me you don't?" Jayden asked.

"If there is an incursion then it's not haunted, is it?" Sofi asked.

Jayden rolled his eyes. "Whatever. How busy are you?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I'm just about to head home for a shower and to change my clothes. Why, what do you need?"

"Nothing major," said Jayden. "Just, Craig landed an hour ago and my car is in the shop. Think you could give me a lift to the airport?"

"Sure. Come on," said Sofi, nodding.

**~X~**

Unlocking the door to the house she now shared with Ryan, Sofi smiled and petted Toby and Figaro as they jogged down the stairs to meet her.

"Hey, you two," Sofi said, scratching them both affectionately. "You guys hungry? Want some fresh air?" She headed into the kitchen and refilled both the cat's water and food bowls, and then moved on to the dogs. While Figaro and Toby chowed down, Sofi unlocked the back door and opened it a smidge, just enough for them to slip out the back without her needing to be there.

Satisfied that her babies were taken care of, Sofi headed upstairs and into the main bedroom. She stripped off her old clothes, tossed them into the hamper, and wandered into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

The shower was warm, and Sofi sighed in relief as the tension in her shoulders washed away, along with the grime. She hadn't realised how badly she had wanted, much less needed this shower. The ARC had a shower facility, but Sofi had never felt the desire to try it out.

Closing her eyes, Sofi tilted her head back and let the warm water run through her hair. It felt heavier but at least she knew it was getting a good cleaning. She moaned as she run her fingers through her hair, easing them over her scalp and massaging the shampoo and conditioner into a lather.

_Creak._

Sofi's eyes snapped open and she paused. The noise had come from right outside the bathroom, which means whoever had made it was in her bedroom. "Ryan?" she called over the fast-flowing of the water.

There was no reply.

Sofi strained her hearing, but she couldn't hear anything more. Shaking her head, and convincing herself that she was just hearing things, Sofi returned to her shower. She rinsed her hair and turned off the water when she heard another creaking.

"Ryan, is that you?" Sofi called. She wrapped her towel around her body and ripped open the shower curtain. She opened the bathroom door and walked into the bedroom, looking around. There was no one there.

But she could hear someone moving around downstairs.

Throwing on her dressing gown, Sofi hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen. She grabbed her phone from the table and was about to call Ryan when she felt a nudge on the back of her legs. She looked down and yelped as Toby looked up at her with his big brown eyes.

Breathing heavily, Sofi laughed and sighed. If there had been someone in the house then Toby would've realised it and started barking. He had never been a dog that liked strangers, and it had taken him a while to warm up to Ryan, much less moving to a new home.

"Are you trying to kill me off, baby, huh?" Sofi asked, scratching the bloodhound behind the ears. "Mummy nearly had a heart attack."

Toby whined and nuzzled Sofi's legs as Figaro jumped up onto the kitchen table. He purred and brushed against Sofi's arm, feeling neglected by the lack of attention.

Sofi laughed and scratched the cat under his chin.

**~X~**

No less than an hour later, Sofi arrived back at the ARC. She had every intention of returning to her lab and finishing up her research, but first, she had to get past security at the front gate.

Becker smirked teasingly as he looked down at Sofi. "Nobody gets in without a pass," he said, shaking his head.

"It's not like you don't know who I am," said Sofi, checking her bag over and over again for her pass. She knew she had it in there when she had gone home.

"Sorry. No exceptions," said Becker.

Sofi rolled her eyes. "Where the hell is it?" she swore, dropping the bag onto the floor and kneeling to search it.

"Sir, according to this, Sofi Wyatt checked into the building a quarter of an hour ago," said Officer Cadet Williams from behind Becker. Both the Captain and Sofi shared a confused glance, and then Becker was running. He slammed his fist against the alarm beside the door and took off down the corridor towards the main ops room.

Sofi packed up her things and darted past the security desk, chasing after her brother. She dodged Ryan, and almost collided with Nick as he stepped out of the Matrix lab.

"What's going on, Sof?" Nick asked.

"Someone stole my pass and used it to get into the ARC," said Sofi. "Becker's hunting them down -"

"DROP YOUR WEAPON AND GET DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW!" Becker yelled. There was a split-second pause and then a round of gunfire.

Sofi gasped and darted forward, evading Nick's clutches and ducking into the gym. She found Becker with his back to the door and his gun trained on a figure lying on the floor. "Becker?" she asked, quietly.

Becker turned to her and sighed, lowering his weapon. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her as Ryan and Nick appeared in the doorway.

Ryan lowered his weapon as he saw the incident had been taken care of, while Nick stepped up to the body and stared in confusion.

"I know this man," said Nick, quietly.

Sofi pulled away from Becker and looked down at the corpse. "Isn't he the cleaner?" she asked.

"The cleaner?" Becker repeated.

"We first met him when we had a Raptor incursion at Castle Cross," said Sofi. "We thought he was just a cleaner. Turns out he worked for Helen. He showed up a few more times after that, but didn't you say he attacked you, Stephen, and Taylor in the Silurian?" she asked Nick.

Nick nodded. "Which is why this moment is impossible," he said.

"Why?" Becker asked.

"Because he didn't make it out of the Silurian desert," said Nick. "I watched him die at the jaws of a Scorpion."

**~X~**

After the body of the cleaner had been moved and disposed of, Sofi returned to the matrix lab with Nick. She sighed heavily and pressed her hands to her eyes, trying to erase the image of the man's dead body from her memory. She was still a little shaken by the whole ordeal, and couldn't work out how the man had managed to get her ID pass.

"Hey."

Sofi looked up and smiled as Jayden appeared, breathlessly in the doorway. He hurried over to her and instantly wrapped his arms around her.

"Ryan just told me what happened," said Jayden, pulling away and holding her at arms length. "Are you okay?"

"A little confused but fine," said Sofi. "How's Craig?"

"Jet-lagged," said Jayden. "I've left him sleeping."

Sofi nodded and then took a deep breath. "We need to figure out how and why the cleaner was here," she said, addressing Nick. "I mean, if he was eaten millions of years ago by a giant scorpion, him being alive is next to impossible."

"It could be his identical twin," said Jayden.

"So what's he doing here, then, going through my laundry?" Nick asked.

"You killed his brother, so he steals your shirt," said Jayden. He paused at the ridiculousness of the idea and then chuckled.

Sofi slapped his chest. "It's not funny," she said. "Whatever this is, it isn't funny."

"It's a little funny," said Jayden.

"What about Helen?" Sofi asked with a sigh. "Could she be back?"

"And what? She brought the cleaner back from the dead only to have him sneak into the ARC and steal Nick's shirt?" Jayden asked. "Why? What's so important about this shirt?"

Sofi shook her head.

"You might be onto something, Sof," said Nick. "You remember what rule number one is?"

"If something inexplicable happens, Helen's usually behind it," said Sofi.

Nick nodded. "Trust me. She's back," he said.

Sofi sighed and rested her head on Jayden's chest. The last thing she wanted, much less needed, was another encounter with Helen Cutter.

Especially since she had barely walked away from the last one.

**~X~**

A few short hours later, Ryan returned to the lab and found Sofi sitting cross-legged on the floor with Topaz in her lap. The Dire Wolf pup was snoozing soundly, and Sofi was still working. He watched for a few moments, taking in her whole appearance from his vantage point. She'd thrown her shoulder-length red hair up into a high ponytail, shrugged out of the jacket she had been wearing earlier and was simply clad in a pair of shorts and a tank-top.

He swallowed hard and forced himself back into composure. "Knock, knock," he called, alerting her to his presence.

"Hey," Sofi grinned, looking up.

"Hey, just checking in," said Ryan. "You all right?"

Sofi shrugged. "I'm still trying to work out how a dead man managed to get his hands on my ID," she said.

"Maybe you misplaced it somewhere and he picked it up?" Ryan suggested.

"And, what? He just happened to know that I worked for a secret part of the government that only a select few people know about?" Sofi asked, shaking her head. "If I'm honest and stop me if you think I am being paranoid, but I think he's been following me."

"What makes you think that?" Ryan asked, sitting himself down on the lab floor. "Has something happened?"

"I'm hardly ever alone for something to happen to me," said Sofi. "If I'm not here, surrounded by ARC employees, I'm in the field surrounded by soldiers. I mean, even today, the only time I was alone was when I went home..." she trailed off, her eyes widening in shock.

Ryan stared at her. "Sof, what is it?" he asked.

"After I dropped Jayden and Craig off at their flat, I went home to shower, change, and make sure Toby and Figaro were okay," said Sofi. "When I was in the shower I heard a noise. I thought it was you, but when I got out there was nobody there. I put it down to Toby and Figaro coming in and out from the back garden, but I didn't think to check if anything was missing." She covered her face with her hands. "Oh god, Ryan. It was him! He was there, outside the bathroom when I was in the shower."

"Which means he was in our room, too," said Ryan, standing up.

Sofi whined and buried her face in her hands. "Ryan, I'm sorry, this is all my fault," she apologised. She shifted Topaz into her arms and stood, facing him. "I left the back door open when I went to shower, he must've got in that way."

Ryan shook his head and pulled Sofi into his arms. "I don't care about that," he said. "I'm more concerned with the fact that he watched you while you showered. He's lucky that he's dead."

"I'm still sorry," Sofi whispered, burying her head in his chest.

"From now on, you don't go anywhere alone," said Ryan. "Not even at home. Either you come and find me, or you take Jayden or Becker, all right?"

Sofi raised her head to meet his gaze and nodded. "All right," she agreed.

Ryan studied her for a few seconds, and then he leaned down and captured her lips with his own.


	3. Choices, part I: Goodbye

Sofi cocked her head to the side as she watched Connor bite down on a screwdriver and unsuccessfully unravel a cord of orange wire. "Need some help?" she offered, pinching the tip of the screwdriver.

"Thanks," Connor said, licking his lips. "It was starting to hurt my cheeks."

"I know we were supposed to work on this together, but then Nick railroaded the idea," said Sofi. "But you don't have to do this alone, you know? I can still help."

Connor nodded and carefully plugged the orange wires into the back of the black box he was leaning over. "I know, but you said that you had no idea how to create an electrical current to block anomalies," he said.

"Yeah, but I can still research magnetite and electrical currents," said Sofi. "You could've finished this by now."

"Eh, it's alright, I had fun researching different minerals and currents," said Connor. "Your job is pretty easy."

Sofi barked out a laugh. "Easy?" she repeated. "You think deep research is easy? You haven't done it properly if it was easy, Connor. Deep research is about deep diving and overturning every stone in your sights, and still not being satisfied with your answer."

"I found my answer fairly easy."

"Was you waist-high in books and papers?"

Connor shook his head.

"Then your deep dive and mine are two very different things," said Sofi. She looked around as the doors swung open and Lester, Nick, and Jenny walked out. "I hope you're prepared for a little show and tell," she added to her friend. "This is where your deep dive usually pays off."

"What do you -" Connor broke off as he spotted the others. A little bit of colour drained from his face and Sofi quirked an eyebrow at him.

Lester cleared his throat as he adjusted his tie. "So, this contraption is going to seal the anomalies, is it?" he asked Connor.

"Uh... in theory, yeah," said Connor, awkwardly.

"You know, after a million pounds' worth of research and development, I'm hoping for something a little more than theoretical," said Lester, clearly unimpressed.

"And you'll get it," Nick assured Lester. "I mean, in simple terms, this machine will reverse the polarity of the anomalies so that nothing gets in and nothing gets out."

Connor nodded.

Sofi smiled as Lester looked her way. "It's works on paper, which is why it's still theoretical," she explained. "Once Connor has got the device all set up, and in front of an active anomaly, will we be able to confirm it in active trials."

Lester took a deep, steady breath and then looked from Sofi to Nick, and finally to Connor. "I hope you're all right," he said, before walking away as Jenny called him.

Connor released the breath he had been holding and turned back to his device. He jumped as Cutter clapped him on the shoulder.

"You sure about this?" Nick asked.

"Pretty sure," Connor replied.

Sofi offered Nick a reassuring smile just as the Detector alarms started to blare. She jumped in surprise and followed Connor over to the three screens as he searched for the coordinates of the latest active anomaly.

"Oh my god," Connor breathed and Sofi felt her heart stop as the anomaly area was highlighted on the screen.

"Where is it?" Jayden asked, running into the room with Ryan and Becker.

"London General," Connor replied.

Sofi turned quickly to Nick. "Sam's working today," she said. "I can call ahead and start making plans to evacuate if needed."

"Call Sam and warn her about the possible threat," said Nick. "Don't make any drastic changes, just yet; we don't want to cause a panic."

Sofi nodded and took out her phone. "Call me as soon as you locate the anomaly," she called as Nick run out of the Ops room.

"You aren't coming?" Jayden asked as he passed.

"You've got this," Sofi said, holding her phone to her ear. "Just be careful."

Jayden looked curious as he followed Becker out of the main ops room, leaving Sofi and Ryan behind.

**~X~**

Jenny looked up from her workstation as Sofi entered the room behind her. "Hey, how you feeling?" she asked.

"Still a little freaked out, I guess," said Sofi.

"Have you spoken to anyone about what happened?" Jenny asked.

"Does Ryan count?"

Jenny smiled. "If his reaction was the desire to kill the dead guy, then I'd consider talking to someone else," she said. "You know, to spare him the mental imagery of another guy watching his girlfriend in the shower. That should be solely his job."

Sofi laughed and blushed simultaneously. "Okay, changing the subject," she said, chuckling. She glimpsed Jenny's computer screen and cocked her head to the side. "What you doing?" she asked.

"It seems you're not the only one with a stalker," said Jenny. "This is Mick Harper. He's an investigative journalist for the Evening News."

"I remember him from the Mammoth incident," said Sofi. "He was interviewing Jake's mother about what had happened."

Jenny nodded.

"Why's he stalking you?"

"Unfortunately, he knows something about what we do," said Jenny. "He showed up outside my house this morning, wanting an exclusive about the ARC and the anomalies. I told him to stay away from me or I'd call the police and have him arrested, but I'm concerned he may try and turn up here."

Sofi skimmed the article about Mick and then looked at Jenny. "If you print that off, I can put it on the bulletin board in the REC room. That way everyone is aware of this guy, and have a physical description of what he looks like. I can also warn security and they'll keep a lookout during patrols."

Jenny nodded and hit print on her keyboard. "This is why you're a genius," she said, causing Sofi to smile.

As the image and article printed out, Sofi's mobile vibrated in her pocket. She fished it out and answered the call. "Nick, is everything okay? Did you locate the anomaly yet?" she asked.

"_We did, and I may need those beautiful brains of yours_," said Nick.

Sofi laughed. "They're ready and abled," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"_I need you to identify a creature for me_."

"Do you have a description?"

"_Not a very good one, I'm afraid_."

"Tell me anyway."

"_It's about medium-size, protruding teeth, with claws. It also scuttles around on all fours, belly against the floor, and it's said it looks like a ratty, beaver, chipmunk_."

Sofi sucked the inside of her cheek as she fed the description into her computer. "Mhm. You could be dealing with some kind of rodent," she said. "What's the scene like? Has anything out of the ordinary been happening? Sam's texting me like crazy saying the lights are flashing and she's concerned about evacuations."

"_The generator does seem to be on the fritz_," said Nick.

"Electrical problems," said Sofi, tapping away at her computer. "Okay. You could be dealing with a Diictodon."

"_Are you sure?"_ Nick asked. "_Those creatures are socially inclined. There could be hundreds of them in here_."

Sofi nodded. "Which is why after we hang up, I'm calling Sam and having her prepare evacuations," she said. "A Diictodon will chew its way through anything, including electrical wires. Their beaks would protect them from any running currents and they can do a lot of damage in a small space of time."

"_Okay. Thanks, Sof. I'll call you back once we've finished_," said Nick.

"Good luck." Sofi hung up and turned to Jenny. "They've got their hands full," she chuckled. "I better call Sam." She dialled her best friend's number.

While Sofi waited for an answer, Jenny fussed with her binder of papers. She arranged it and the rearranged it several times during the short conversation between friends. When it was over, Jenny turned quickly to the youngster.

"Can I ask you something?" Jenny asked.

"Does it have something to do with why you're so fidgety?" Sofi asked.

"I'm not," said Jenny.

Sofi quirked an eyebrow at her and grinned.

Jenny sighed and composed herself. "What do you think about Cutter?" she asked.

"That depends," said Sofi, setting her phone down on the desk. "In what way are we talking? I mean, I could list a thousand different ways of how he's a great guy. But, if you're thinking in the terms of, oh, I don't know, romantic? It would probably be a very shortlist."

Jenny looked pleading at Sofi.

Sofi sighed. "Alright. It's like this," she said. "I can't say much given the fact that he is my professor, and the whole student/teacher relationship thing is a taboo subject, also to mention the fact I am in a great relationship already with a guy that I'm totally in love with. But, if I was single and Nick wasn't my professor, then I guess I would say he's hot."

"Just hot?" Jenny asked, stunned.

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you?" Sofi whined.

"I'm curious," said Jenny. "Describe it to me."

Sofi groaned and took a deep breath. "Cutter is pretty hot, in an emotionally toxic 'don't come near me, I'm a romantic disaster' kind of way."

Jenny chuckled as Sofi buried her face in her hands. "Just my type, then," she said, reaching across to pat the young red-head on the shoulder.

"We're so going to hell," Sofi grumbled, raising her head.

"We?" Jenny laughed. "What did I do?"

"You made me say it," said Sofi. "I'm going to hell for saying it, and I'm taking you with me for making me say it."

Jenny laughed.

"Now I'm curious," said Sofi.

"Uh-oh," Jenny murmured causing Sofi to smile. "Nothing has happened," she added, pointing at the youngster. "Yet."

Sofi grinned. "I love how you added yet," she said. "So, when are you thinking of making the first move?"

"I'm still thinking I shouldn't."

"Why?" asked Sofi. "It's clear you're both head over heels for each other."

Jenny shrugged. "Sometimes I look at him and he stares at me like I'm her, you know?" she asked.

"Claudia Brown," said Sofi, sighing. "Look, I was there when Helen explained how you were supposed to have been Claudia Brown but evolution changed you into the woman you are today, and I've been thinking about it since she said it, and, to be honest, Jenny, I don't think she's right."

"You don't think I could've been someone else?"

"I'm not saying this Claudia Brown person didn't exist," said Sofi. "I mean, both Nick and Ryan described this woman to me in great detail. It'd be strangely weird for them both to create the same woman out of thin air, so I am inclined to believe that a Claudia Brown did exist once in both their lives."

Jenny looked interested.

"But for her to have changed into you? We would've known about her, too," said Sofi. "By we, I mean, me and the others. But we don't, we don't have any memory of her. Furthermore, both Ryan and Nick say that I am different, too. My history has changed from what they knew about me, which makes me think that this Claudia Brown exists in another timeline."

Jenny cocked her head to the side. "Different timeline?" she repeated.

"Can you pass me a sheet of paper from the printer?" Sofi asked. Jenny did and placed it on the table. The redhead took her pen and drew a line on the paper. "This is our timeline," she explained, before drawing a second line adjacent to the first. "This is the line that Claudia Brown exists in. My theory is, and I've shared this with Connor, and he backed me up with his knowledge on timelines."

Jenny nodded as she followed along.

"Now, both Nick and Ryan have memories of me that don't align with my history," said Sofi. "They both say that when they first met me, I either spoke of my father Christopher or I was seen with him. My dad has been dead for eleven years, so how could they have met him? The only thing that fits my history, is that my dad worked for the Home Office. Still with me?"

Jenny nodded. "I think so," she said. "One thing I'm still confused on, however, is if Nick and Ryan came from that timeline," she pointed at the second line. "How are they here?"

"When you were a child, did you ever look in the mirror and think that a whole other world could exist in there? Another you existed?"

"Sometimes, yeah."

Sofi nodded. "I did too. I even gave it a name - the Mirror Effect - It's like the flipside of our lives. Nick and Ryan stepped through the Forest of Dean anomaly, and when they returned they came back to our world, not theirs. They're on the other side of the mirror. Everything is essentially the same in these two worlds, except minor things have changed - Claudia Brown became Jenny Lewis, Christopher Wyatt died from his injuries instead of recovering, I was raised by a foster family, instead of my dad."

"But how could all these things have changed?"

"In layman's terms, I would say that Helen exploited the Mirror Effect," said Sofi. "She experimented with Nature on a small scale to see just exactly what she could do, and she created a whole other world - a reversed world, where things are the same, but also a little different."

Jenny nodded slowly.

"That didn't help answer your question, though, did it?" Sofi asked, smiling.

"Not really, no," Jenny chuckled.

Sofi nodded. "Then, try and think of it this way. We've all got baggage when it comes to relationships," she said. "Try not to dwell too much on Claudia Brown when you're with Nick. Just enjoy your time with him. I'll admit, when Ryan first told me about this other Sofi, I was jealous and scared. Everything about her is the reverse of me, and I was concerned that he wouldn't want to be with me because I wasn't the girl he fell in love with. But, I had to stop worrying, because there is nothing I can do to change what has happened."

"Now that is what I would call layman's terms," Jenny teased.

Sofi laughed and lay back in her seat.

**~X~**

Later, after their chat, Sofi left Jenny at her workstation and headed back to her lab. She was in the process of researching the myth about the Kraken when she heard Lester's voice outside her door. Looking up, she caught sight of Cutter through the glass and checked her phone. He was supposed to have called her when he was on his way back.

Shaking her head, Sofi put down her phone and slid off her seat. Underneath the table, playing with a dropped pen lid was Topaz, the pup lifted his head and yapped as Sofi wandered towards the door, opening it an inch and sticking her head through the gap.

"Cutter, you're back," Sofi said, smiling. "Great. I've just started researching the Kraken, but I did manage to verify another date. I need you to check it before I add it to the model."

Sofi withdrew back into the lab and Cutter followed her. He watched as she gathered her papers and stuffed them into a yellow binder, storing them on the desk behind her. When she turned back to face him, she smiled and nodded to the adjacent door. "How did it go at the hospital?" she asked. "Was I right about the creatures being Diictodons?"

Nick didn't reply. He merely stared at Sofi.

"Are you alright?" Sofi asked, cocking her head to the side. She then shook it and led him through into the storage room. "You know what? Never mind. Let's just take a look at these equations. They're as accurate as possible, but I still need you to give them the once over."

"I'm busy now," said Nick. "You carry on with your work."

"Yeah, trying," said Sofi. She picked up the marker from the board and pressed it against the palm of her hand. "Now, if we feed these figures into the model, I think..."

"Be quiet."

Sofi lifted her gaze to meet Nick's and furrowed her brow. "What?" she asked, stunned by the bluntness of his tone.

"I said, be quiet," Nick repeated.

"But -"

"You've changed," said Jenny, appearing in the doorway. She was carrying a folder under her arm. "Your clothes," she added as Nick turned to her. "You weren't wearing that before. Did something happen at the hospital?"

"Yes," Nick answered, still staring at Sofi. He could see the confusion in her eyes as she maintained his gaze, but he could also tell that she was thinking long and hard about every word he was saying.

"Sofi, are you okay?" Jenny asked.

Sofi tore her gaze away from Nick and offered Jenny a half-smile. "Everything's fine," she said. "Just got a lot of work to do." She returned her attention to Nick. "I understand that you're busy, Professor. I guess we'll go through this later. I've got other work to be getting on with."

Leaving the room, Sofi headed down the hall to the armoury and found Ryan cleaning his gun. He looked up as she entered, concern etching its way into his eyes as he saw the look on her face.

"What's is it?" Ryan asked, setting down his gun. "What happened?"

"It's Nick," said Sofi. "I think something's wrong."

**~X~**

After her conversation with Ryan, Sofi headed back to her lab. Her thoughts were still clouded with their conversation and her concerns that something was very wrong with her professor. He had never once cut her off when speaking, and he usually always looked forward to what she had to say in terms of her research.

The anomaly model was as much her baby as it was his, and she put most of the work into creating it. While Nick was the one that had created the grand sized on in the storage lab, Sofi had been the person that had initially created it on a computer. She researched the different points in time were myths were created and seen, and Nick verified the calculations before adding them to the model.

It was how they worked. She researched and he verified. So why was Nick seemingly shutting her out now?

Returning to her lab, Sofi stopped dead as she caught movement through the window. She peered in through the glass and saw two soldiers moving in on Topaz, having cornered him under her desk on the far side of the room. Furrowing her brow, Sofi pushed open her lab door and whistled.

Immediately, Topaz evaded the soldier's hands and bounded over to Sofi, she scooped him and glared at the two men as they turned to face her. Sofi felt her eyes widening as she recognised the faces of the two men. They were identical, but, what was more, and definitely strange, was they were identical to the man that Becker had shot a few days ago, and the man that had died at the jaws of a mega scorpion.

"No way," Sofi breathed.

Backing out of the room, Sofi collided with another body and turned quickly to apologise. She stopped dead as she looked up into the face of a smirking Aaron Black. He grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall outside her lab door.

"Hello again, Sofi," Aaron said. "Did you miss me?"

Sofi swallowed hard.

"Easy, kid, I need her alive."

Sofi groaned inwardly as Helen Cutter appeared behind Aaron. Being herded behind her, by another cleaner clone, were Lester and Jenny.

"What the hell have you done, Helen?" Sofi asked.

"Haven't you figured it out yet, Sofi?" Helen asked. "I'm disappointed."

Sofi glared at the older woman. "How did you even get in here?" she asked. "The ARC has been on red alert since my brother killed your lapdog."

Helen laughed. "I guess I knew the right people," she said, looking over Sofi's head.

Sofi followed her gaze and her eyes widened. "I knew something was wrong with you," she said, as Nick walked towards her.

"Then why didn't you say something?" Lester asked.

"Because I had to be sure," said Sofi. She stared at Nick but he merely walked straight past her and held a gun at Lester's head.

Lester's eyes widened and then he met Nick's gaze. "You are so fired," he said.

"Don't kill him yet," said Helen, walking past her husband.

"'Yet', hmm," said Lester with his usual sarcasm. He looked back at Cutter, "What have you done?" he asked as the cleaner clone urged him to follow after Helen.

Aaron tightened his grip on Sofi's arm and dragged her down the hall after the others. "Where's the Captain, Sof?" he asked. "Uh? Where's Ryan?"

Sofi glared up at the soldier that had tormented her since the moment they had met two years ago. Without saying a word, she turned and walked into the room that Jenny and Lester were in, and turned to face Helen as she stood in the door.

"I don't know what you're hoping to accomplish here, Helen," said Sofi. "But, whatever you've done to Nick, won't last."

"You think so?" Helen asked, smirking. "I guess we'll see who is right, huh?" She turned to the Cleaner clone. "Guard this door. Shoot anyone who tries to get in or out. Obey no one else. My voice is the only voice you recognise."

The cleaner clone nodded.

Helen locked gazes with Sofi once more and grinned. "Don't worry, Sofi, you won't be in here for very long," she said.

The door closed.

"So, Cutter's finally gone native," said Lester, folding his arms.

"He would never betray us," Jenny defended.

"If I'm not mistaken, he just did," said Lester, holding up his phone. "Great. No service."

Sofi turned to Jenny and Lester. "Ryan's still in the ARC," she said. "I just left him in the armoury. He'll figure out soon that something is wrong and either come to help us, or call for backup."

"Unless he gets caught first," said Jenny.

"He's a trained soldier. He knows what he is doing," said Sofi, shaking her head. "I'm more concerned with how Helen spoke to the guard. It was like as if he had no will of his own, he just responded to everything she told him."

Jenny looked thoughtful and then nodded. "You're right, it was like he was programmed to obey her voice," she said.

"Exactly. He didn't even seem to hear the rest of us," Lester agreed.

"The only person that seemed to interact with us, at all, was Black."

Subconsciously, Sofi rubbed her arm.

"So all we have to do is get her to change her instructions," said Lester, sliding his hands into the pockets on his trousers.

"Why would she do that?" Jenny asked.

"Maybe we can do it for her," said Lester, looking up at Sofi.

Sofi cocked her head to the side and then turned to the only computer in the room. "I have an idea," she said, pulling out the chair and booting up the system.

Jenny and Lester crowded around.

"If I can access the archives," Sofi explained as she worked. "Then I can find the interrogation file that we have on Helen from the last time she was here. I can then rearrange the wording and create a whole new file, using just her voice and a very specific set of instructions."

Sofi worked in silence for a few minutes. She entered the archives through a back door server, as not to set off any alarms in the ARC and alert Helen to what they were doing.

"_Is there anything in my voice, Lester? Anything at all that's telling you there's nothing you can do to make me obey you? Nothing will stop me doing what I have to do_."

Sofi moved the mouse over the wavelength box and highlighted the dialogue sequence she needed, she then copied it into a new file, before doing the same procedure again but on a different part of the wavelength. When she was done, she looked up at Jenny and Lester and pressed play.

"_Stop. Do nothing, obey my voice_."

Jenny gasped and looked at Sofi, clapping the young girl on the shoulder. "Way to go," she said.

"Now comes the hard part," said Sofi. "We have to play it over the internal sound system. Only problem, we can't do that from in here."

Jenny and Lester sighed.

The door opened and the trio looked around to see Connor and Abby shuffle into the room. The guard pointed his gun at Sofi and motioned for her to move.

"What do you want with her?" Jenny asked, standing in front of Sofi.

"Helen wants her," said Abby. "Her orders were to put Connor and I with you, and bring Sofi to her."

Sofi squeezed Jenny's hand. "I'll be okay," she said. "Just figure out how we can stop this."

Jenny held on to Sofi for as long as she could before the Cleaner clone pulled the youngster out into the hallway.

The doors closed again.

**~X~**

Nick looked from his clone to his wife, and then back again. Under any other circumstances, he would've been thoroughly impressed, maybe even flattered, but this wasn't something he had been expecting when he returned to the ARC. "You created this?" he asked.

"I borrowed the technology from the future," Helen answered. "He's made from your DNA. Perfect in every physical detail."

"Physical?" Nick repeated.

"Hmm. It has limited intelligence, enough to follow basic instructions," Helen explained.

"He's still a human being, though, right?"

Helen shrugged indifferently. "Free will is what makes us human," she said, staring into the face of her creation. "This creature is... well, it's nothing more than a living photocopy."

Nick run his eyes over the clone and then paused, taking in and understanding Helen's words. He sighed and looked at his wife. "Please tell me you didn't do this to Stephen," he asked, although it was more of a statement than a question.

"No matter what they look like, they can never be the original," Helen stated. She turned away and smiled as a cleaner clone returned with Sofi. She watched as the youngster spotted Nick and his clone, and looked between the pair.

"Nick?" Sofi asked, warily.

"It's okay, Sof," Nick said, as the clone remained motionless. Despite it not saying anything, though, it did turn at the sound of its name.

Sofi run across the lab and wrapped her arms around her Professor. She could already tell, by the sound of his voice and the fondness in how he said her name, that he was the real thing.

Helen sniffed as she watched her husband hug the youngster back. Their relationship had changed from the teacher and his student kind, and into something more domestic, familiar. Helen hadn't been entirely sure before now, but she could see that Sofi view Nick as a surrogate father, and Nick saw her as an adopted daughter.

"I knew it weren't you," said Sofi, spying the clone. "I just couldn't be sure." She pulled out of the hug and looked around for Helen. "I don't understand why you're doing this. What do you get out of this?"

Helen cocked her head to the side as she leaned against a work station. "I've seen the final destruction of almost every living creature on this once beautiful planet," she stated.

"Humanity has been heading for an extinction event since the minute they evolved," said Sofi. "It was only a matter of time before Mother Nature wiped them out, or they wiped out themselves."

"But I can stop it," said Helen, boldly. "I can save us from them."

Sofi shook her head.

"Look, whatever is going to happen is going to happen, and we have to leave it alone," said Nick. "I mean, look what happened the last time. You killed Stephen."

"I didn't kill Stephen," Helen replied, defensively. "You did. You both did," she added, casting a look at Sofi.

Sofi glared hard at the older woman.

"We all know that the course of evolution can be changed," Helen continued. "I can restore balance."

"You still don't get it, do you?" Nick interrupted. "That no matter how many times you interfere, you still can't get the result you want, because evolution can't be bent to your will."

Helen stared at her husband. "I hope you're wrong," she said, quietly.

"I still don't understand what this has to do with the ARC?" said Sofi. "I mean, of all the places to ambush us, you do it here? Why? There has to be a reason. You don't take over a place unless there is a significant value to it, or you can exploit something to your advantage."

Helen chuckled softly. "You don't know it yet, but I do," she said.

"Know what?" Nick asked, exasperated.

"Your work will lead to predators being created here in this precious ARC of yours," Helen said, looking around the room.

Sofi bit back a scoff and shook her head. How naive did Helen think they were? The future predators were not a force to be trifled with, and there was no way either she or Nick would ever consider, much less allow anyone, to create them in the ARC.

"I'd never sanction that," said Nick.

"I've seen them, in the future. Troops from the ARC," said Helen.

Sofi shook her head. "If everything has been destroyed then how do you know that the troops were from the ARC?" she asked.

"The ARC changes over time," Helen explained. "The uniforms will soon adorn the crest of the ARC on their shoulders. I've seen them."

"Oh, no, you've got it wrong," said Nick.

"You haven't done it yet, maybe not," said Helen. "But sooner or later you will and it has to be stopped. You... you have to be stopped."

"You're talking crazy!" Sofi protested.

"Am I, Sofi?" Helen questioned. "You can't stand there and tell me you've never been curious about where the Predators came from? How they were created? Who created them?"

"Of course I have!" Sofi stated. "But that doesn't mean I'd recreate them. Those things took my whole family from me; they killed my friends and almost got Ryan, too. So no, I don't believe you when you say that we'd create them."

"If you're so sure of this, then why didn't you get your creature to kill us when he had the chance?" Nick asked, nodding at his clone. "Why don't you just shoot us now?"

"Because there is something I still don't understand," said Helen. She removed the long tube from her back and set it on the table.

Sofi watched as she unzipped the top end and removed a thick, steel tube from inside. It was decimated and covered in dirt and grime, but it looked like a battery for a supercomputer. "What's that?" she asked.

"That's what I'm hoping you'd be able to tell me," said Helen.

"You expect me to know just by looking at it?" Sofi asked. "Come on, Helen. You know me better than that. I need to clean it up first, and then look into research before I can give a definite answer."

Helen shook her head. "I don't have time for all that," she said.

"Then I can't help you," said Sofi.

"Shame." Helen turned to Nick. "What about you, Professor?" she asked.

Nick smirked and met his wife's gaze. "I know exactly what it is," he answered, turning his back.

Sofi furrowed her brow and looked after him.

"Tell me," said Helen.

"No," Nick replied, simply. "You can go to hell."

Sofi met Nick's gaze, and although he didn't say anything, she could tell that he was bluffing. She bit back a grin, realising his game plan.

"Give him ten seconds, and then shoot Sofi," said Helen.

"What?" Sofi cried. She looked from Helen to the Cutter clone and stepped back in alarm as it raised a gun right at her.

Nick took a step forward but was stopped as Aaron Black got between him and Sofi, holding him at gunpoint also.

"Nick," Sofi pleaded, her eyes trained on the gun aimed at her head. She'd been hurt a few times in the past - collided with, attacked by a predator, hit over the head numerous times - but she'd never been shot, and she didn't expect it to feel all that good.

"It's okay, Sofi," Nick said, trying to sound reassuring. "He won't shoot you."

"I think he begs to differ," Sofi said, as the clone started counting. He was already at five, and he didn't seem to intend on stopping,

Nick looked from Sofi to Helen. "What does this get you?" he asked. "If you kill her then I will never tell you what that is. Stop it, now."

"How much does Sofi mean to you, Nick?" Helen asked. "Surely her life is worth more than the titbits' of information you can give me."

The clone had reached nine.

"Nick," Sofi pleaded. "We're out of time."

"Okay," Nick said, quickly. "Okay, I'll tell you."

Helen walked over to the clone and smiled, patiently. "Put the gun down," she ordered. The clone did and Sofi sank onto a stool, gasping back a sob as tears appeared in her eyes. She'd been close to death before, but somehow this time it felt different.

Shoving past Aaron, Nick knelt beside Sofi and drew her into a hug, her body trembling in the aftermath.

_"Do nothing, obey my voice. Stop, do nothing, obey my voice_."

Nick looked up as Helen's voice echoed around the ARC. He sighed in relief and looked down at Sofi, her eyes shone with unshed of tears but there was a look of victorious relief on her face. "You did this?" he asked, quietly.

"I can't take credit for the idea," Sofi said.

Panic and anger flashed across Helen's face as all over the Ops room her clones looked up and lowered their weapons. "No, stop, that's not me," she shouted, trying to drown out the recording. "Stop, that's not me. That's not me!"

"It's over, Helen," Nick said, straightening up.

Helen glared at the pair and then turned to her Cutter clone. "Listen to my voice. Complete your mission," she ordered.

The glassy look in the clones eye nerved Sofi, and the feeling only got worse as he turned away and opened one of the black boxes near the detector. Sofi's eyes widened and her heartbeat quickened as she recognised the final part of Helen's plan.

"That's a bomb..."

Leaving Sofi's side, Nick raced to his clone and attempted to get him to reconsider his orders.

"You don't have to stay here, Sofi," said Helen, turning to the youngster. "I've offered you a place at my side many times, and I'm still waiting for you to realise your potential. But, I can assure you that it is wasted here at the ARC. You're destined for great things, but the ARC only looks to exploit you. Come with me."

Sofi glared at Helen. "I know where I belong, Helen," she said. "I belong here, at the ARC. Trying to protect two of the Earth's biggest species. I'm not interested in what you've seen, or any theories on what you believe may happen. My future isn't set in stone."

"You're making the wrong choices, Sofi," said Helen. "I hope you realise that."

"I'm ready and willing to face the consequences of my choices. Are you?"

Helen smirked and turned to Aaron. "We're leaving," she said.

"What about her?" Aaron asked, nodding at Sofi.

"Not yet," said Helen. "I'll give her one more chance to see things my way. But this is the final chance, Sofi. Next time you won't get away alive."

Sofi watched as Helen and Aaron left the Ops room, and she returned her attention to Cutter and his clone. He had managed to talk the clone down from detonating the bomb at least that is what it looked like. The clone looked to be contemplating his orders before he met Cutter's gaze with a defiant look.

"Save her."

Nick returned to Sofi's side and took her arm firmly in his grasp. "Run," he told her, pushing her towards the doors.

Sensing the urgency in his tone, Sofi didn't argue.

They had barely reached the second set of doors when the explosion hit. Sofi glimpsed a massive fireball engulfing the Ops room as she turned the corner, leading down to where the others had been taken.

She screamed, covering her head with her arms. The whole hallway rocked in the blast wave, and there were numerous crashes and smashes as objects fell from shelves and desks in the many rooms surrounding the Ops centre.

"Nick!" Sofi yelled as his grip on her arm disappeared. The ARC was filling up with thick black clouds of smoke, and it was getting harder and harder for her to see anything. The place had been completely and utterly destroyed, smaller fires littered the hallways, and rooms were completely obliterated.

Sofi stumbled past her lab and the matrix room, her heart falling into her stomach as she saw the destruction that had befallen them. Her research had gone up in flames, along with her laptop and thesis. Tears blurred her vision and washed away the soot and grime that had settled on her face as she stared around at the chaos.

"Sofi, are you down here?"

Someone barged and kicked their way through the destruction and Sofi turned to see that it was Ryan and Jayden. The pair looked relieved to see her, and she all-but fell into Ryan's arms as he reached her side.

"It's okay," Ryan said, cradling her head as she sobbed into his shoulder. He wound one arm around her waist, and then hooked the other under her legs, lifting her into his arms. He turned to Jayden and nodded once. "Let's get out of here."

Jayden nodded in return and led the way back through the chaos and out into the crowded carpark.

Sofi could hear people talking over one another, all of them wondering what the hell had happened. She lifted her head from Ryan's shoulder and looked around for her friends, spotting them all clustered together in a small group near Cutter's jeep.

Ryan headed in their direction, setting Sofi back on her feet. She was lifted again as Becker ambushed her in a hug, looking relieved that she was alive. A little banged up, maybe, but alive nonetheless.

"Where's Helen?" Nick asked, breaking the happy reunion.

The team turned in his direction. Why did he suddenly care about the woman that had just tried to kill them all?

"She must be still inside," Connor coughed, retching up the smoke that he had inhaled.

Nick looked up at the burning building and then turned to take a flashlight from Jayden.

"Nick, she wouldn't lift a finger to save you," said Jenny, striding forward and grabbing his arm.

"Yeah, I know," said Nick.

"Don't go," Jenny pleaded. "This is a mistake."

Nick stared at Jenny with a deep fondness before forcing a small smile. His mind had been made up, he was going to save Helen, despite knowing she wouldn't do the same in return.

"Nick!" Sofi yelled as Cutter run back into the smoke and flames.

"Where the hell is he going?" Lester asked, hanging up his phone call. "Cutter!"

But Nick didn't heed their calls, and soon they couldn't see him as he was engulfed in thick black clouds of smoke.

**~X~**

Time seemed to stop as the team waited for Nick to return with Helen. Neither of them was sure what was happening inside the ARC. Had he found her? Had she already disappeared and he was struggling to find a way back out? Had the entrance caved in after he had re-entered and he was trapped?

In the time that Nick had left them, Ryan had taken Sofi to a paramedic to get her checked over. She was relatively fine - a few bruises and minor scratches, but nothing serious, even the blood that pooled across her tongue, leaving a tangy and metallic after taste had a reasonable and minor explanation.

The paramedic had advised that she take it easy for a few days, but he didn't say that she needed to be off work. During the chaos, Sam had been called from London General to assist with the triage of patients, she had already checked on the team, agreeing with the paramedics' assessment of Sofi before moving on to other patients.

As she sat in the back of an ambulance, Sofi stared off into the distance. Her hands were clasped together and rested under her chin as she waited for Nick to return. Why was he taking so long? What was happening? Why hadn't he returned yet? Every possible scenario - good and bad - raced through her head, churning her thoughts.

Ryan sat himself down beside Sofi, a small bundle of fur in his arms.

Topaz barked and leapt into Sofi's lap, pawing at her chest with his front feet and licking her face. Her composure broke and she smiled down at the pup. He barked as she run her fingers through his fur, and he curled up in her embrace.

"He's been gone too long," Sofi whispered.

"Temple's gone searching," Ryan answered.

Sofi looked at him wildly. "What?" she asked, rising from her seat.

"It was against all better judgement," said Ryan, placing his hand on her shoulder and forcing her back down. "Besides, he had gone before we even realised what he was doing."

"You didn't go after him?"

"Jayden did."

In her panic, Sofi looked towards the ARC doors. Now, not only was her professor trapped in the burning building, two of her best friends were, too. "Someone has to go get there," she said. "Helen's not working alone anymore. Aaron is in there, too. Jayden's been wanting at him since he hit me down at the marina."

"Sofi, calm down," said Ryan. "They'll be -"

"WE NEED AN AMBULANCE!"

Sofi and Ryan both looked around as Lester's voice shouted across the carpark. All paramedics and first responders were busy checking over other patients, and most ambulances had already been dispatched to nearest hospitals with those who needed better medical care.

Through the chaos, Sofi was able to make out three figures stumbling out of the ARC. Connor, Jayden, and Nick. She breathed a sigh of relief, before realising that Jayden was carrying Nick, instead of supporting him in his walk.

"No," Sofi breathed, her breath catching in her throat. She stood, her legs mindlessly carrying her back towards the ARC. She pushed through the team, as they gathered around the trio. Jayden was kneeling on the ground and Nick was lying motionless beside him, whilst Connor stood over the pair, clutching Helen's artefact.

"WHERE'S THAT AMBULANCE!" Lester yelled.

"It's too late," Connor said his voice low and quiet.

"What?" Abby murmured her voice breaking.

Sofi stared at Connor, her vision blurring as tears filled her eyes. She looked down at Nick, the tears rolling down her cheek and smudging the grime that she had yet to wash away. Her heart raced and she felt light-headed as she gasped for breath.

Ryan tried to wrap his arms around Sofi. Tried to draw her in and offer her some form of comfort, but she wouldn't allow him. She pulled away and knelt beside Nick, brushing aside his fringe and hoping that he would wake up. But she knew he wouldn't. He'd never wake up. She'd never see his kind, blue eyes again, or hear his enthusiastic voice as she explained her theories to him.

He was gone.

"We need to get this man in an ambulance, now!" Lester yelled.

Squeezing her eyes closed, Sofi turned away from Nick and finally accepted the comfort that Ryan was offering. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried. She hadn't cried or felt this sort of pain since losing her family thirteen years ago, and while the pain should've been different, it wasn't.


	4. The G Rex

"Hey."

Jayden looked up from his workstation and offered Abby a tired smile. "Hey," he replied. "Looking for Connor? I noticed he didn't sign out last night."

"Yeah, he hasn't signed out all week," Abby said.

Abby spied the clipboard that Jayden was working from. Since the explosion last week, at the hands of Helen Cutter, the whole operation had been down, including lines of communication and the internet. ARC officials had to sign in and out manually while an intern updated them to a database at the end of the day.

"He and Sofi are in good company," said Jayden. "She hasn't been home since the explosion either."

"This is a stupid question, but how is she?"

Jayden shrugged. "When she's not trying to salvage what is left of her thesis, she's trying to recreate the Matrix," he explained. "When she's not doing either of those two things, she's pouring over that artefact that Helen discovered."

Abby nodded, squeezed Jayden's shoulder, and then headed into the ARC. White plastic sheets covered most of the surfaces, while builders operated inside the destroyed rooms. Interns moved infrequently around the work stations, clearing away debris and trying to salvage anything worth saving, most of it was thrown directly in the bin, but others were stored in files and binders, and then stashed inside briefcases for later.

As she bypassed the two labs at the end of the hall, Abby paused and looked inside the one on her left. She saw the youngest member of the ARC field team, crumbling up a piece of paper before throwing it at the wall. Abby felt her heartbreak as Sofi covered her face with her hands, and her shoulders shake as she sobbed.

Abby wanted to go in and comfort her friend, but she knew that there was nothing she could do or say that would help Sofi at this moment in time. She sighed and continued to the main ops room, where she found Connor fussing over the detector.

"Is it working?" Abby asked, drawing Connor's attention.

"No, not yet," Connor answered, struggling to remove a wire. "But it will be."

"You need to get some rest," Abby said as Connor shuffled past her and headed for the locking device he was trying to create. It has sustained some damage in the initial attack but was otherwise unharmed.

"What I need to do is finish the and then... then I need to fix the detector," said Connor. He paused and surveyed Abby as she looked around with a sigh. He heaved a deep breath. "This is the anomaly locking mechanism. If I can get this to work, Abby, we can seal anomalies."

"If you don't know where they are in the first place, then it won't be much use, will it?" Lester asked, appearing with Jenny in tow.

Connor sighed deeply and nodded. "Fine," he said, reluctantly, returning to the Detector. Abby followed and leaned against the back of his chair, supportingly.

As Lester left the Ops room, Jenny followed him. "You're working them too hard," she said.

"Right now, work is the best thing for us," Lester explained.

Jenny sighed and let Lester walk away. He stopped at the security desk and she turned her attention to the lab on her left. She spotted Sofi staring at the artefact that had been set up on her desk, but other than that, the red-head didn't move.

Pushing open the lab door, Jenny stepped inside and looked around. The lab had all but been destroyed. The explosion had caused the glass to shatter, so white plastic sheeting now replaced it, blocking Sofi's view on anything going on in the Ops room. Anything electronic had been destroyed, including the research Sofi had collected on anomalies over the years, and her PhD thesis.

Behind Jenny, in the adjacent lab, was the remains of the anomaly matrix. It's discarded poles and sticky notes lay on the floor, untouched and charred from the flames. Jenny shoved her hands into the pocket of her jeans and sighed heavily. Red tape had been strung from doorframe to doorframe, barring anyone from entering.

"Any luck?" Jenny asked.

She heard Sofi release a soft breath and turned to face the girl. Despite the conversation starter being an open question, Sofi still didn't reply. She merely shook her head, her gaze locked on the artefact in front of her.

"Any chance of putting this back together?" Jenny asked, returning her attention to the matrix. She half-glanced at Sofi as the youngster shook her head. "It's not your fault, you know?"

Sofi forced a smile as tears filled her eyes.

"If you ever need to talk about anything, Sof -"

"I'm fine," Sofi answered, her voice hoarse. "Besides, should I be saying that to you? "

Jenny forced her own smile and rounded the room so that she was standing beside Sofi. She wounder her arm around the young girl's shoulder and squeezed, tightly. "Maybe we could talk to each other," she said.

The pair were interrupted by the sound of the detector alarm. Sharing a concerned look, both Jenny and Sofi exited the lab and entered the Ops room. Sofi felt her heart hammer against her chest, this had been the first time since the explosion that she had stepped foot in the room.

"Is this a test?" Jenny asked, walking over to Connor and Abby.

"No, this is genuine," Connor replied, quickly trying to locate the coordinates.

"Do we have a location?" Jenny asked.

Connor nodded and downloaded the coordinates to the handheld. He then turned and held the small tracking device out to Jenny. He noticed her hesitation and glanced at Becker, as the Head of Security arrived with Ryan and Jayden in tow.

"Okay, let's go then," said Jenny, nodding. She steeled herself and turned to Sofi. "Ready?"

Sofi glanced at the monitor and then back at Jenny. "Ready," she agreed.

**~X~**

The car ride was silent, tense, and uncomfortable as Sofi sat in the back of Becker's SUV with Jayden, while Becker and Ryan sat upfront. So much had happened in the last week, and with Sofi being so closed off to everyone since the explosion, no one was sure what to say.

"I hate to do this, Sofi," said Becker, glancing back at the red-head.

"Then don't," Sofi replied, firmly. She knew what was coming, she had been waiting for it to happen all day.

Becker sighed and checked the road. Ahead of him, driving another ARC issues SVU were Connor, Abby, and Jenny.

"Mum's worried about you," said Becker, pushing the issue. "Doctor Bennett has left several messages..."

Sofi bit her tongue and stared, pointedly out of the window. There wasn't much scenery to watch go by, only homes and buildings within the city limits, but right now any distraction was welcomed.

"He's concerned because you've called to cancel three times this week."

Fully aware that everyone's attention was on her, despite them not looking specifically at her, Sofi tightened her hand around the handle of the door. She had noticed it was locked a mile back and had been cursing her brother for getting the drop on her. He had locked the doors intending to corner her for this conversation.

"You want to tell me why? And don't say it's because you're okay."

Jayden glanced sideways at his best friend. "We all miss Cutter," he said. "I carried his body out of the ARC, remember?"

"He shouldn't have been in the ARC in the first place!" Sofi snapped. "Neither you, Nick or Connor should've been in there!"

Jayden stared, surprised at Sofi as she glared at him. Tears of anger and grief mixed in her blue eyes. He instinctively reached for her, but she pulled away, curling herself into a ball in the corner of the back seat. The car fell silent again, the only sound was Sofi's sobs.

Finally, Sofi calmed down and straightened out. She stared purposefully out of the window again. "If Nick hadn't have gone back in after Helen then he'd still be alive," she whispered.

"You can't be angry at him," said Jayden.

"Can't I?" Sofi challenged. "Two minutes before she blew up the ARC, Helen had Cutter's clone hold me at gunpoint and threatened to put a bullet in me if Nick didn't do what she wanted... and he still went back in after her!"

"Why did she hold you at gunpoint?"

Sofi shook her head. While she hadn't gone home for almost a week, she did take infrequent naps at the ARC. Each nap consisted of her waking from the same reoccurring nightmare - being shot and then blown up.

"Sof?" Jayden asked.

"She wanted information on the artefact," Sofi answered. "She thought I would know what it was, but I told her that I would need to clean it up and research it first. She said that she didn't have time for that, so she asked Nick. He said that he knew what it was but he wasn't going to tell her, that's when she gave the order for a ten-second delay, before shooting me. She wanted to see how much my life meant to Nick."

"He gave in though," said Becker. "You're still here."

"It was a close call," said Sofi. "Nick didn't want to believe that Helen would just kill me. The clone got to nine before he intervened." She took a deep shuddering breath.

Becker glanced at his sister. "This is why you haven't been to Bennett?" he asked.

"The reason I cancelled all my sessions is that I don't know where to start," Sofi said. "I don't know what to talk about first. I don't know what scares me more - almost being shot, blown up, not knowing if all of you, and everyone else made it out, my anger at Nick for going back in to save Helen, or him leaving me here."

"He didn't exactly have a choice," said Jayden.

Sofi shook her head and angrily wiped away her tears. "He had a choice," she said, glancing back at the window. "He could've chosen to not go back in. So yes, Jayden, I can be angry at him."

Jayden released a breath as Sofi turned away and shared a look with both Becker and Ryan.

**~X~**

The scenery outside the window and changed. No longer could Sofi see the buildings of the city centre, only the green leaves of forestation, and a looming building on the horizon. She hadn't seen or even been to this building before, but she had heard about it. John Becker, her adopted father, had told her about the militaries many bases across the country, and this was one of them.

He hadn't given her a name, merely a contact - Christine Johnson of MI6.

"In there," said Abby, directing her handheld at the base doors and leading the way inside.

The ARC soldiers split up once inside, taking over every inch of the ground floor.

"Hello?" Abby called, her voice echoing off the glass-paned windows all over the building.

Connor turned in a full circle, trying to take in every piece of the building. "It's deserted," he noted.

"Or they want us to think it's deserted," said Sofi.

"What about in there?" Jenny asked, spotting a single solitary door leading to another part of the building.

Handing over his gun, Becker tried to prise the doors open, but they wouldn't budge.

"There must be another way in," said Jenny, turning away from the doors. She started to lead the others down a hallway when the doors opened automatically, and the team wheeled around in surprise.

Sofi shared a look with Jenny, and the older woman strode purposefully toward the doors. She stopped as Becker caught her arm and held her back.

"Wait, Jenny," said Becker, training his gun on the doors and entering first. Ryan and Jayden went next, with the team following behind, and leaving the last of the soldiers to keep guard.

There were a second set of doors stood at the end of the corridor, and they opened immediately, spilling another team of uniformed officers into the already tight corridor. Sofi noticed that their uniforms differed from the ARC's men, but she did recognise the man in charge.

"Captain Wilder," Sofi blurted out.

The older man looked surprised and stared at her for a long while.

"You know him?" Jenny asked.

"I know of him," said Sofi. "John Becker speaks highly of you," she added to the older man.

Wilder smiled and nodded. "So you're the Sofi I've heard so much about," he said. "It's great to finally meet you." His gaze shifted from Sofi and landed on Becker, and his smile grew wider. "Becker," he nodded. "I haven't seen you since your last deployment."

Becker nodded, dutifully.

"Is anyone else confused?" Connor asked.

"Becker knows him from Sandhurst, Connor," Sofi answered.

"The Military academy?"

Wilder nodded. "Becker was the top of his class," he informed the team. "One of my best cadets."

Connor looked towards Ryan and Jayden, but before he could ask whether or not the two knew Wilder, the door opened behind him and something nudged his shoulder. He turned to see an unidentified soldier, wearing the same uniform as Wilder, pointing a gun at him.

"Guys?" Connor said, swallowing.

"What's going on here?" Jenny asked, looking over her shoulder and then around at Wilder.

Wilder merely nodded towards the ground floor. "Move back into the foyer," he ordered.

The team compiled and stepped back. Becker, Ryan, Jayden, and the other ARC soldiers lowered their weapons and the team clustered together in the middle of the room. No one spoke for a few minutes, although Wilder did try and get a few words out of both Becker and Sofi before giving up when they didn't respond.

Ten minutes later, the doors leading away from the foyer opened again, and a smartly dressed woman approached Jenny. The way she held herself, Sofi could tell that she was a woman of authority.

"You must be Jenny Lewis," the woman said, marching directly towards Jenny and holding out her hand. "I'm Christine Johnson. Nice to meet you."

Jenny shook the woman's hand. "What is this place?" she asked, immediately after dropping Christine's hand.

"Jenny, an anomaly was definitely detected less than 100 feet away from here," said Connor, looking up from his handheld. He had been checking it over for any faults but had come up short.

Sofi watched as Johnson, the woman her father had informed her about years ago, studied Connor silently. She folded her arms and furrowed her brow as Johnson smirked and looked away, just as Connor gave her his full attention.

"I know that might not mean anything to you but trust me, not a good thing," Connor said.

"There's nothing to worry about," Johnson said. "There's no anomaly here."

Her interest peaked, Sofi approached Jenny. "What would an MI6 agent know about the anomalies?" she asked.

Johnson looked surprised as she turned her attention to Sofi. She then smiled and held out her hand. "You must be Sofi Wyatt," she said.

"Let's just have a look, you know, just to be sure," said Abby, drawing Johnson's attention away from Sofi.

"I can assure you, you'd find nothing," Johnson insisted.

Jenny looked around at her team and then up towards the upper floors of the building. She was curious to see what Johnson was hiding, which was something. "Right, I want unrestricted access to the whole place and a full explanation of what it is you're doing here," she said.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Johnson said.

"I can make it possible with one phone call," said Jenny. "So let's just save some time, shall we?"

"James Lester has no authority here," Johnson replied, firmly. "Now, I suggest you go back to the ARC and do what it is you all do best."

"Did you hear what we just said?" Abby asked. "You could be in danger, just let us go in and have a look."

"That's very thoughtful, but we'll be quite safe," Johnson insisted. But, if you're going to continue to insist, I'll have to call my lawyer."

Johnson met Sofi's gaze with a knowing smile.

"Jenny, trust me, this isn't worth the fight," said Sofi.

Jenny looked from Johnson to Sofi and back again. She then sighed in defeat and turned towards the main doors.

"Do give my regards to James," Johnson said, smiling.

Jenny ignored her and headed out with Sofi, Connor, and Abby in tow.

**~X~**

Upon their return to the ARC, Jenny, Abby and Connor headed up to Lester's office for a debrief while Sofi returned to her lab. She was in the process of check on Topaz when the door opened, she looked around to see Ryan standing in the frame.

"Hey."

Sofi smiled weakly and turned her back on him. "I don't want to talk if that's why you're here," she said.

"Then maybe you'll consider listening," said Ryan. "Becker and I have been talking..."

"Oh, great!" Sofi said, putting Topaz back into his cage and locking the door. He yawned and curled up in the corner.

"We're worried about you, Sof," said Ryan, rounding the table. "We only want what's best for you."

"Teaming up on me to get me to go to a shrink isn't going to help!" Sofi snapped.

"From what I've learned you've seen Dr Bennett before," said Ryan. "When you lost your parents and Abel."

Sofi closed her eyes and turned away from him. She had just lost Nick, she didn't want to talk about her parents and Abel, too. Even though they had died over eleven years ago, the wound was still raw, especially now.

"Talking helps," said Ryan.

"And I've already told you that I don't know where to start," said Sofi.

"Just pick something, anything. Shout, scream, throw something, just do not keep it all inside."

Sofi bit her lower lip as it trembled. She didn't want to have this conversation. She wanted to do what she did best and that was work.

"Sof -"

The detector alarms interrupted the couple, causing them to look around. Dashing around the table, Sofi rushed through the open door and into the main ops room, leaving Ryan to sigh and follow her.

"Is it the same place?" Jenny asked.

"No. No, this is a new one," said Connor.

"Okay. Let's get going, then," said Jenny, patting him on the shoulder.

"Uh-huh," Connor nodded.

Sofi looked around. "Wait, where's Abby?" she asked, noticing her friend's lack of an appearance. "Did she leave?"

"About ten minutes ago," said Jenny. "She said she had to meet someone."

Connor swivelled around on his chair and stared at Jenny with wide, terrified eyes. "Who?" he asked.

"I don't know. Jack somebody," Jenny said, shaking her head. "Come on. We'll call her on the way. Sof?"

Sofi looked from Connor to Jenny. "Yeah, coming," she said, bypassing Ryan as he stood behind her and headed for loading back, stopping at her lab to collect her things on the way out.

**~X~**

Finally, after Connor had received more than his allocated two minutes to set up his locking device, the trio was on the road, heading towards the new anomaly site. Sofi sat in the back of the car as Connor tried to contact Abby on his mobile, and Jenny contemplated her surroundings as she drove.

"What did Lester say?" Sofi asked.

"He admitted to not knowing that the place existed," said Jenny. "But he did also know that Johnson was a military liaison. She's been put in charge of appointing military officers for the ARC, and has already put forward several candidates for Cutter's replacement."

Sofi fell back into her seat. "Of course she wants her men leading this team," she said. "It would mean Johnson ranks above us, and just below Lester, if not on the same level."

Jenny nodded and Connor hung up his mobile after a third unsuccessful attempt.

"I have a question," said Connor, glancing back at Sofi. "Why were you so quick to back out when Johnson mentioned her lawyers?"

"It's about picking your battles," said Sofi. "And trust me when I say that this is one battle we were glad to have stepped away from."

"Makes me think you're afraid of her lawyers," said Connor. "Do you know them, like you knew Wilder?"

Sofi sighed and looked out of the window. "I can't say I would know all of them," she said. "But, there is a Military Lawyer that I know of that has represented Johnson many times in the past, and trust me, she's never lost a case."

"Now I'm curious," said Connor. "Who is this Military Lawyer that has you so freaked out."

"Kamillah Becker."

Connor turned in his seat so that he could see Sofi's face. "Becker?" he repeated. "As in -?"

"Yes," Sofi nodded.

"Holy Shit! Your adoptive family sounds scary."

Sofi made a small agreeing sound as she returned her attention to the window. "The Becker's have strong ties to the Military," she said. "That's how I knew Wilder - John speaks of him every chance he gets. I mean, sure, he has amazing things to say about Ryan, but John fought alongside Wilder in Iraq. They're brothers."

Connor shared a look with Jenny as Sofi fell silent.

The car ride stopped at a barrier, blocking their way onto the airfield. Whilst waiting for staff to grant them access, Jenny turned to Connor. "How far?" she asked.

"About half a mile straight ahead," Connor answered.

Jenny nodded at hit the accelerator the second the barrier was lifted.

"Did she say anything else?" Connor asked.

"Who?" Jenny asked.

"Abby. About this Jack guy and who he was exactly?"

Sofi rolled her head to the side. "I thought you were going to call her?" she asked.

"I've tried, three times," Connor answered. "But..."

"LOOK OUT!" Sofi yelled as a familiar face jumped out into the middle of the road. Jenny hit the brakes but still clipped the man, causing him to fall backwards onto the floor.

Jenny trembled as she realised what had happened, and barely registered Sofi and Connor getting out of the car and approaching the man. As she calmed down, Jenny realised the man was, in fact, Mick Harper from the Evening News.

As shock gave way to anger, Jenny got out of the car. "What the hell do you think you're playing at?" she yelled.

Mick took a deep breath and looked between the trio. "Please, you've got to come quickly," he said.

"What is it?" Jenny asked.

"There's this thing. There's a big shining light," said Mick, describing an anomaly. "This creature came through and it started..."

Jenny and Connor shared a look and hurried back to the car, leaving Sofi to get more information from Mick. She considered the man carefully, having heard not so great things about him from Jenny.

"This thing, how big was it?" Connor called.

"Big," Mick replied.

Sofi rolled her eyes. "That's helpful," she muttered. "I thought you were told to stay away from this?"

"I wished I'd listened."

"It's all fine and dandy saying that now," said Sofi. "But, then, no one cares about their actions until after the fact, do they?"

Mick stared at her and then quickly turned his attention to Jenny as she and Connor returned. "Tell me what you want me to do," he said.

"Show us where the anomaly is," said Jenny.

"Right. It's this way..."

Sofi took a tranq gun from Connor and followed Jenny down the dirt path towards the warehouses. She loaded a tranq of ketamine into the barrel of her gun and station herself against one side of the door, opposite her, loading their weapons were Connor and Jenny.

The latter looked terrified.

"Maybe I should go first?" Connor offered, despite having a smaller gun.

Jenny shook her head. "No, me," she said.

The pair looked across at Sofi.

"On three," said Sofi, reaching for the handle. "One... Two... Three..." she swung the door inwards, opening up it's dark and cool inners to their attention.

As Connor and Jenny shuffled inside, Sofi followed. She swung the gun around, poking the muzzle into every nook and open space she could find, trying to startle out a creature that could've been hiding there.

But there was nothing.

A short whistle caused Sofi to turn around, and she found Mick standing in the doorway, a triumphant smile on his face.

"No!" Sofi yelled, lunging forward. She reached the door just as Mick closed it and locking it from the outside.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jenny yelled, slamming her hand against the grate.

"Thanks for the scoop, Jenny!" Mick called, a chuckle in his voice. His footsteps grew fainter as he walked away, and then he was gone.

Jenny threw back her head with a sigh and Connor shared a look with Sofi. They were now trapped on an airstrip where an active anomaly was open and had been discovered by civilians.

"We should try and search for another way out," said Connor.

Sofi motioned towards the room. "Be my guest," she said. "I'm not moving."

Connor sighed and wandered off, leaving Sofi and Jenny alone. He returned soon after, looking disappointed.

"No back door?" Sofi asked.

"No. Not even a window."

Sofi sighed and slid down to the base of the wall.

"I can't believe I let myself get taken in by that reptile of a journalist," Jenny grumbled.

"He's pretty good, though, as reptile journalists go," said Connor, trying to sound sympathetic. "He had me."

"I thought you were trying to make her feel better?" Sofi asked, taking out her mobile. She dialled a familiar number and pressed the device to her hear.

_"Missing me already?"_ Jayden asked, teasingly.

Sofi rolled her eyes. "Put Ryan on the phone," she said.

_"You wound me, Sof,"_ said Jayden. There was a brief silence as the phone changed hands, and then Ryan was speaking.

"How far away are you?" Sofi asked.

_"About a mile,"_ said Ryan. _"We're stuck in road works."_

Sofi groaned and knocked her head back against the wall.

_"What is it, Sof?"_

"We got conned," Sofi answered. "There is now a camera crew from Evening News near an active anomaly, and the three of us are trapped inside some warehouse. You need to get here faster than fa -"

The whole warehouse jangled as Connor took a running leap at the door and then landed with a grunt on the floor.

"What the hell -?" Sofi asked, staring at Connor. He merely rolled onto his side, clutching his arm and groaning.

_"Sofi, what was that?"_ Ryan asked. _"Are you okay?"_

Sofi shook her head and returned to her conversation. "Please hurry, I think Connor's starting to lose his mind already," she said.

_"I'll see what I can do. Sit tight."_

The call ended and Sofi looked back at Connor as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "Don't glare at me," she said. "You're the one who thought he could win a fight with a metal door."

"I was trying to get us out," Connor defended.

"Uh-huh," Sofi said, nodding. "How did that work out for you?"

**~X~**

Sofi wasn't sure how much time had passed since she, Jenny, and Connor had been locked in the warehouse. Her phone said it had only been ten minutes, but it felt longer. For a while, there had been nothing but silence, but now screams and roars were coming from the adjoining bunkers. The roars echoed off the walls and did nothing to help Sofi or Connor to wheedle down to a specific breed of dinosaur.

Amidst the roars, growls, and screams, the warehouse door had started to jangle and shift. Originally, Sofi had shouted at Connor for trying his luck again but soon learned that her friend hadn't moved from his position beside her.

Jumping to their feet, the trio backed away from the door and lifted their guns, prepared to fire on sight at whatever was coming for them. The door swung open and for a split second, the trio was blinded by the bright sunlight from the outside world.

The light was soon diminished as a solitary figure blocked it out.

"Danny Quinn?" Jenny scoffed.

"Oh, you don't want to do that," Danny Quinn said, smirking. "You need all the help you can get."

Sofi lowered her gun and turned to Connor. "Who?" she asked.

"He's the cop that locked me up during the future anomaly at the abandoned house," said Connor.

"You didn't tell me you were locked up," Sofi answered.

"It was terrible," said Connor, dramatically. "I never thought I'd get out. Honestly, Sof, I thought I'd never seen you guys again."

Sofi rolled her eyes. "Something tells me you forfeited your rights," she said.

"He didn't even know his rights," said Danny.

"Yes, I did!" Connor defended. "I knew about keeping quiet and asking for a phone call."

"You don't know the definition of keeping quiet, Connor," Sofi muttered.

Danny smirked as Connor pouted.

Ignoring the pair of them, Jenny led the way out of the warehouse and headed down the path towards the bunker. With Danny's help, she was able to locate the one where the screams and roars had been coming from and made a hasty sprint in its direction.

"What's your play?" Danny asked.

"My play is to secure the scene," said Jenny. "Your play is to leave now before I arrest you."

Sofi glanced at Connor. "I thought he was a cop?" she asked. "Couldn't we use his assistance to secure the scene?"

"I like her," said Danny, nodding at Sofi. "Just give me the gun and I'll go in first."

Jenny turned on Danny and aimed the tranq at him. "Take one more step and I will shoot you," she warned.

Danny held his hands up and stepped back. "Alright. Absolutely," he nodded, stopping.

Sofi watched as Jenny strode passed her, into the bunker, and then turned to Danny. "Normally, I know better than to go against my superiors, but we need all the help we can get, so, don't let me down."

Danny nodded and followed Sofi into the building.

The pair paused on the threshold, looking up at the giant anomaly hanging in the middle of the bunker.

Danny whistled and Sofi saw Jenny tense and turn. She offered the older woman a sheepish smile and scurried over to Connor, still staring at the anomaly. It was the biggest they had ever seen and documented, and she could only wonder what had come through.

"Help!"

Sofi spun around. Her gaze moved over to the overturned car, and her eyes widened as she saw an arm sticking out of the broken passenger's door window. "Guys!" she yelled, running over and trying to pry open the door, it wouldn't budge.

"You've got to get me out of here!" a woman frantically pleaded.

Sofi squatted down, careful to not catch herself on the broken glass that littered the floor and found herself staring at a frightened older woman, two men, and Mick Harper. "I think I found our camera crew," she said, as Connor joined her and Jenny peered in through the front windscreen.

Managing to get the door open, Connor stepped back and allowed Sofi to crawl inside. She reached across the desperate woman and slammed her hand against the inside door handle. It creaked and gave way, scratching across the floor as Danny shoved it open the rest of the way.

**~X~**

By the time both the crew members, the journalist, and the woman were safely out of the car; the rest of the team had arrived. Connor wandered away to start setting up the locking device, while Jayden made his way towards Sofi.

"Hey, you're Danny Quinn," Jayden said, spotting the bloke Sofi was chatting with.

Sofi looked at her best friend. "You know him?" she asked.

"He works with Craig," said Jayden.

Danny looked quizzical.

"Craig Whittemore," Jayden answered. "Just got promoted to Detective."

"Yeah, I know him, I'm wondering how you do?"

"He's his boyfriend," Sofi answered.

Danny surveyed Jayden and then shook his hand.

"We haven't got much time," said Connor, approaching with Jenny and Becker. "He's going to be back. He knows there's easy prey here."

"Look, here's what I think we should do," Danny started.

Jenny sighed and turned wildly to him. "There is no 'we'," she snapped. "This has got nothing to do with you. This is a secure zone, and I don't care if Sofi went over my head and said you could stay, you're still not authorised to be here. Leave now."

"Do you want me to arrest him?" Becker asked.

"Last chance," Jenny offered.

Danny glanced at Sofi.

"Don't look at her," said Jenny. "She's in enough trouble."

"So, where do you want all this stuff?" Danny asked, turning away from Jenny and walking over to help Connor set up. "Over there?"

Connor nodded as Jenny looked on in shock surprise.

Sofi bit her lip and avoided Jenny's gaze as the older woman turned her attention onto her, instead.

"You're being reckless, again," said Ryan, sidling up to Sofi.

"We need help," said Sofi, simply. "I don't see the harm in letting him stay, as long as he follows orders, do you?" She glanced sideways.

Ryan sighed.

Once the locking mechanism had been set up, Connor fussed around booting up the onboard computer, inputting the codes, and preparing the electromagnetic pulse. He paused and glanced at Jenny, smiling nervously. "We're ready..." he sighed, straightening up.

Sofi kneaded her bottom lip between her teeth as she waited and watched. This was as big of a moment for Connor as it was when he created the anomaly field camera, and the detector, if not bigger. If this worked then they could prevent incursions of every anomaly they encountered.

Taking a deep breath, Connor slammed his hand down on the ignition button and drew back instantly with a cry of surprise and alarm as a small explosion ripped through the device.

"Connor!" Sofi exclaimed.

"I thought you said this was going to work," said Jenny, sounding tense.

"It does. It will," Connor said.

"Well, how long before we can try again?"

Connor shook his head. "I don't know. A few seconds, maybe. I don't know," he said, panicking.

"Connor, stop and think," said Sofi, edging her way through the team and kneeling beside Connor. He was fussing over the onboard computer, trying to find the problem.

"I don't have time to stop and think!" Connor said.

Catching his hand, Sofi forced him to look at her. "If you don't take the time to stop and think where this went wrong, then you're going to cause more harm than good," she said. "The problem isn't with the computer, the explosion came from the device itself. Start there."

Connor held Sofi's gaze for a minute longer, then sighed deeply and nodded. "Okay, you're right," he mumbled, straightening up. He turned to the device and removed a section on its side, revealing the wires inside. They were smoking, due to the explosion, but they were all relatively intact.

"I have a question," said Danny, speaking for the first time since setting up the device. "But has anybody considered closing the doors?"

"Right, that's it. Arrest him," Jenny ordered.

Ryan's hand had barely clamped down on Danny's shoulder when a roar echoed out of the anomaly. Sofi looked around just in time to see it shimmer and a large scaly foot with four large claws, stomped through, followed by a massive leg attached to a giant body, a short neck, and a large head.

"It's making a run!" Connor yelled, ducking out of the creature's path.

The jaws of the creature opened wide, showing two rows of pointy teeth, and then clamped shut with a mighty force.

Becker raised his gun, ready to fire.

"No! Don't shoot it!" Sofi yelled.

Becker hesitated and then sighed in annoyance as the creature stormed out of the hangar doors, and disappeared down the runway. He lowered his gun and turned to Sofi. She stared silently back. She understood is concerns to protect her and the team, but she had made the rule to protect the creatures, whatever the cost.

"The biker, he's gone," said Ryan, returning with Jayden and the rest of his team.

"His name's Danny Quinn," Jenny replied. "But right now I'm a bit more concerned with a T. Rex running wild on an air-field."

"That wasn't a T. Rex," Connor corrected. "That was a Giganotosaurus."

"Also known as a G. Rex," Sofi explained at Jenny's confusion. "That thing is bigger, it's faster. It's a lot more dangerous."

Jenny closed her eyes as she sighed. "Get the locking mechanism working and seal that anomaly," she ordered.

"You're not going anywhere, Sofi," said Becker, stopping her from getting in the car.

"I know more about this creature than either you and Jenny put together!" Sofi protested. "You need me out there."

"You're not going. End of discussion," Becker said, a lot more forcibly than before.

Sofi glared at Becker from across the car, then turned and stormed back to where Connor was working. She'd never hated her brother more than she did right now.

"Stay with them," Becker ordered a member of his team. "Anything comes through, kill it."

His orders given, Becker reversed out of the hanger and took off down the runway after the G. Rex.

Sofi huffed and sat on a box behind Connor. She met his gaze as he turned to look at her, offering a small smile.

"You know he's only looking out for you, right?" Connor asked, turning back to the device.

"I know," Sofi sighed. "But, it's at times like these that when I look at him, I can tell he only sees a scared little girl that needs protecting."

"Aren't you?" Connor asked.

Blinking back her tears, Sofi's lower lip trembled and she nodded. "But I don't need him telling me something that I already know," she said. "When that happens, it shows that I haven't been successful in hiding my true feelings."

Sliding away from the device, Connor wrapped Sofi up in a hug and squeezed her tightly. He held her for a few minutes before she pushed him away and wiped her tears. "Let's finish fixing this mechanism," she said.

"Prepare to be amazed," Connor said, chuckling.

**~X~**

Sofi watched as Abby and Connor sped away towards the runway. Connor had successfully managed to seal his first-ever anomaly when Jenny had called in a panic asking for help. Initially, she had tried to leave with them, but Ryan had returned and stopped her at the last second.

"We just want to keep you safe," Ryan kept saying.

"This is hardly the first time I've been in danger, though!" Sofi protested. "You know my track record. I've been hurt more than most people on this team, and in life-threatening situations where I've still walked away. I don't understand why you don't seem to trust me anymore."

"I trust you, Sof," Ryan insisted. "It's everyone else. You said it yourself, you've been hurt more than anyone on the team, and in many life-threatening situations. What happens if the next one is the one you don't walk away from?"

"Isn't that always a chance with this job?" Sofi asked. "I can't just sit in the lab for the rest of my career because you and Becker are afraid that I won't come back; Helen's already proven that not even the ARC is safe anymore. I won't give up what I do."

Ryan sighed as Sofi turned away and looked towards the runway. He wanted to keep her safe as much as Becker did, but he also understood her point. He couldn't force her away from this job, and she wouldn't willingly give it up.

_"Sofi, can you hear me?"_

"Connor?"

_"I need an exit strategy,"_ said Connor. _"I'm currently trying to outrun the G. Rex in a luggage carrier, but it's moving too slow."_

"They aren't designed to go fast," Sofi answered. "Your best option right now would be to just stop. The momentum of the G. Rex could cause him to tip over at the sudden stop, and if he's down, he's going to have trouble getting back up. That'll be your chance to make a break for it."

There was silence over the comms. Sofi watched with bated breath as the large dinosaur, which was hard to miss, tilted forward and landed with an earth-shattering jolt on the tar mark. From her position outside the hanger, she couldn't see much of Connor, save for a tiny pinprick in the distance.

"Connor, you there?" Sofi asked, her voice shaking. "What are you waiting for? Run. He's getting back up! Connor!"

There was static and Sofi could only watch as the G. Rex made it back to its feet and towered over the pinprick that she knew to be one of her best friends.

"Who's that?" Ryan asked, pointing at a buzzing helicopter near the scene. The helicopter flew low over the G. Rex, drawing its attention away from Connor, down the airfield, and then in a tight circle, back towards the hanger.

"_Sofi, you there?"_

"Jenny! Where's Connor, is he okay?"

_"He'll live. Sofi, I need you to listen to me very carefully,"_ said Jenny. _"Danny is leading the G. Rex back towards you. I need you to open the anomaly."_

"You're telling me that Danny Quinn is inside the helicopter flying towards me?"

_"Yes. Can you open the anomaly?"_

Sofi turned and spied the locking mechanism. "I don't know," she stammered. "I watched Connor when he locked it, and I can remember what he did, but what if I screw it up?"

_"You can do this, Sofi, I believe in you. We all do."_

Sofi looked to Ryan and he nodded. She swallowed hard and then took a deep breath. "Get here as soon as you can," she told Jenny.

Jenny didn't respond, and if she did, Sofi didn't hear her. The redhead rushed into the hanger, missing the creeping twosome that was Mick Harper and his boss near the outskirts of the hanger, and started to redirect the power of the electromagnetic pulse.

While sitting and observing Connor's actions in locking the anomaly only thirty minutes ago, Sofi could remember in great detail everything he had done. She just hoped that doing the opposite of that was enough to reverse what had happened and unlock the anomaly.

"Freeze!" Ryan's voice rebounded off the hanger walls and Sofi looked around to see him holding Mick Harper and his boss at gunpoint. The pair were trying to smuggle their camera with video evidence of the G. Rex from their abandoned car.

Their other personal items that could've contained evidence had been confiscated, so the camera was their last-ditch effort to expose the ARC.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jenny yelled as she and the others arrived. She climbed out of the back of the blue mini, as Connor rushed over to Sofi's side. He took over for her, and she watched as he finished up before slamming his hand on the locking device. The electro-pulse hit the anomaly and it sprung open.

The helicopter whirred loudly as it flew into the hanger, the G. Rex following behind it.

Mick cowered behind his boss as she lined up the shot on the camera, backing up and up to try and fit the whole dinosaur into the frame.

"Look out!" Sofi yelled, but the warning came too late as Mick and the woman fell through the anomaly. Micks screams were the last thing the team heard as the G. Rex followed.

Silence hung like a cloud in the air as the team regained their footing. Becker, Ryan and the rest of the soldiers gathered around the anomaly, their guns raised and ready to shoot should another creature try coming through. Sofi was positive that Becker wouldn't heed her warning if she asked him not to shoot, even if she begged him.

"Danny, can you hear me?" Jenny asked into her radio. There was nothing but static on the line.

"We need to lock it again," Becker said.

"He might be alive," Jenny argued.

"We can't take that risk," Becker insisted.

"He's got a minute."

"But, Jenny..."

"I'm in charge here!" Jenny snapped. "Just give him a chance."

Becker scoffed and then leaned in towards her. "Well, I think you're making a big mistake," he said.

Sofi's heart filled with dread as the seconds ticked by in silence. She had been the one to let Danny stay, even if she had to go over Jenny's head to do so, and now there was a chance he was dead.

"Okay, do it," Jenny conceded. She turned to Connor and nodded, giving the order to seal the anomaly and any chance of Danny, if he were even still alive, to return.

"Something is coming through," said Abby, moving closer to the firing range.

"Lock it!" Becker yelled.

Connor turned to the locking mechanism and reversed the polarity of his last action. He raised his hand over the button, ready to release the energy inside the crystal matrix and seal the anomaly once again.

"Wait!" Sofi shouted as Danny stumbled through the anomaly, landing just in front of the team.

"There's a herd of them. And they're coming," Danny said, breathing heavily.

"Connor!" Jenny said.

"I can't lock it with him in the way," Connor defended.

Rushing forward, Ryan and Becker caught Danny under the arms and pulled him back, out of the way of the firing line.

Connor hit the button and the anomaly re-sealed itself.

The team sighed in relief at their close call.

"So, what did you do with the helicopter?" Jenny asked Danny.

"I'll just nip back and get it, shall I?" Danny asked, sarcastically.

Sofi released a shaky laugh.

**~X~**

A while later, Sofi approached Danny as he sat staring at the anomaly. There was a familiar look in his eyes, and she offered him a small smile as he turned his attention to her. "I know that look," she said. "Who did you lose?"

"My brother. You?"

"Same," Sofi answered. "I also lost my parents, too."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Sofi took a deep breath and sighed, tears clouding her eyes again. "Then, just last week, I lost my professor," she added. "Who was also one of my best friends."

Danny wasn't sure what to say.

"It's okay," said Sofi, reading his face. "You don't need to say anything. I didn't tell you all this so you'd pity me. Although, I do owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"Nearly getting you killed," Sofi answered. "You may have saved us, Danny, and we'll be forever grateful to you for that, but I shouldn't have let you stay today. I went over Jenny's head to make it happen, and I'm in a lot of trouble for that. But none of that even matters because I put you in a situation were couldn't have walked away."

Danny shook his head. "You know I would've stayed regardless of what you had said. So don't beat yourself up," he said. "I'm just stubborn, I guess."

Sofi licked her lips and nodded. "Still," she said. "You helped me realise something today. I'm getting more and more reckless, and since Nick's gone I've been putting a lot more people in danger. Becker and Ryan are right, I need to take a step back. I need to consider my place on this team before I go out in the field."

"I don't know you that well, Sofi, but from what I've seen today, you care a whole lot," said Danny.

"Thanks," Sofi whispered. She sighed heavily and wiped away her tears, just as Jenny arrived behind her. Sofi smiled at the pair and then wandered away towards the car. Jayden was packing away the boxes that contained the locking mechanism and looked up as she approached.

Leaving the packing to his teammates, Jayden wrapped Sofi in a hug as she quietly cried into his shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Sof," he promised. "It's all going to be okay."


	5. The Future Fungus

"How's it going?"

"I've still got ways to go in terms of cleaning it up," said Sofi. "But, I do think I may have found something."

"What is it?" Connor asked.

Sofi handed over her notebook, revealing a series of numbers on the page. "It looks to be some kind of code," she said.

"But to what?" Connor asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Sofi. She blinked and looked up as she heard a small squeaking noise, followed by a heavy thud and found Connor laying on the floor. She cocked her head to the side and raised an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation.

"Do you remember Jack?"

"Jack?"

"Jack, with Abby?"

"Oh, yeah, did you ever find out who he was?"

Connor nodded. "He's her little brother," he answered. "Anyway, long story short, he's staying with Abby at the flat, which means Sid, Nancy and I have to... what?" he asked, trailing off as Sofi's eyes glistened with tears.

"You called them Sid and Nancy."

"Oh, yeah," said Connor, realising why she was crying. Sid and Nancy had been the last nicknames that Cutter had given himself and Abby before he had died. Hugging Sofi tightly, Connor pulled back and rubbed her shoulders.

"You better find him before Lester finds out," said Sofi. "He'll kill you."

"You keep Topaz here," Connor said, heading out of the lab.

"In a cage under my desk," said Sofi. "He's not running amok through the ARC."

Connor nodded and skirted passed Ryan as the Captain arrived at the lab.

"What's he up to?" Ryan asked.

"Trust me, you're better off not knowing," Sofi said, dabbing away the tears on her face. She took a deep breath and turned back to the artefact, squeezing a stream of chloride solution over the grime and watching it melt away. She used a scrapping tool to clear the muck that lingered in the crevices.

"Have you figured out what this stuff is yet?" Ryan asked, leaning against the table opposite her. He was indicating to the black and grey sludge on the table. "I'm going to take a guess and say it's not mud."

"You'd be right," said Sofi. She flipped back to a previous page in her notebook, and then pushed it across the table toward him. "It's Selenium."

"Come again?"

"A non-metal chemical with properties of sulfur and tellurium, but also has similarities to arsenic, too."

"Science nerd," Ryan teased.

Sofi laughed and met his gaze.

"You okay?"

Considering I spilt my coffee and then burst into tears, I'd say no," said Sofi. "I'm scared that I'm never going to be the same as I was before. Dr Bennett said that I have to work through the stages of grief - I'm supposedly at the reflection and loneliness stage."

"You're not alone, Sof," said Ryan, gently.

Sofi nodded. "I know that physically, but mentally?" she shook her head. "Nick was more than just my professor, Ryan, he was one of my best friends. I could go to him for literally anything, and trust him to not say a word of it to anyone without asking him not too."

"You can do that with me."

"But it's not the same," said Sofi. "I trust you with my life, but the bond Nick and I shared couldn't be replicated or replaced. He reminded me so much of my dad. He believed in all my theories, pushed me to put them into practice, respected me enough to let me have my own opinion, even if it was different from his."

Ryan watched as Sofi looked down at her work. He could tell she was trying her hardest to keep it together, but she had started to tremble and the grip on her tools had tightened. He sighed, pushed off the table and walked around to her, pulling her into his arms.

"I'm interrupting."

Sofi peered over Ryan's shoulder and then pulled away. Jenny stood in the doorway to the lab.

"No, it's okay," said Sofi, shaking her head. "What do you need?"

"I just needed to give you this," said Jenny, sliding a worn journal across the table. It was found in Cutter's things, and after reading a few pages I realised he left it for you. He thought very highly of you, Sof, and he believed that you could do anything. I'll leave you to get back to work now." She turned away.

"Hey, Jenny," Sofi called.

"Yeah?" Jenny asked, turning back.

"Thank you," Sofi smiled.

Jenny smiled back and then left completely.

Sofi stared at the journal. She lifted it carefully from the table, afraid that if she held it too tightly then it would disintegrate or disappear. She slid her finger under the cover. almost afraid to turn to the first page. Did she want to see what Nick had written? Had he written a goodbye letter? Did she want the last remembrance of Nick to be the last words he had ever written?

"What's she doing here?" Ryan asked.

Sofi looked up and saw that he was staring out the window into the Ops area. She followed his gaze and saw Christine Johnson, Captain Wilder, and a man she didn't recognise loitering around near the detector. "Crap," she muttered, dropping the journal and removing the artefact from the table. She stored it out of sight, just as Christine glanced her way.

Christine smiled and disappeared from view, only to appear minutes later on the threshold of the lab. "Sofi, a pleasure to see you again," she said.

"Wish I could say the feeling is mutual," said Sofi. "What are you doing here?"

"Meeting with James."

"Let me guess, trying to manipulate a loophole and get your claws into the ARC?"

Christine's eyes glittered with amusement.

"Let's not pretend that you care about us," Sofi added. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

"Christine," Lester said, appearing behind Johnson. "My office is this way." He led her away from the lab, and Sofi swung the door closed on Wilder and his friend; she then turned to the window and opened a panel on the wall, inputted a four-digit code, and watched as the glass was glossed over with a holographic image.

Ryan quirked an eyebrow.

"I had Connor put it in after the explosion," said Sofi. "It's like the two-way windows in the interrogation rooms. We can see out, but no one can see in."

Ryan nodded and watched as Sofi set the artefact back up on the table. "I'll let you get back to work," he said, pressing a kiss to her head.

"Okay," said Sofi. She watched as he left and then returned her attention to her work. She only had a few more pieces of the artefact to clean up, and then the real research could begin.

**~X~**

At least an hour later, Sofi was drawn out of the lab by the alarms ringing loudly. She furrowed her brow and headed into the main Ops room, surprised to find Danny Quinn gearing up in a biohazards suit with Connor.

"What's going?" Sofi asked, looking between the two.

"Everything under control?" Lester asked, arriving with Johnson and Wilder.

"Everything is fine. He's helping me," Connor said, zipping up his suit. The pair headed out to the new lab and entered, careful to close the door securely behind them.

Sofi watched as Danny cautiously approached the body on the ground. She couldn't see much from where she was standing, but if she had to venture a guess, she would've said it was the man that had arrived at the ARC with Johnson and Wilder. He was lying motionless on the floor.

Danny heaved a sigh and looked up at the window. He shook his head and Sofi covered her mouth with her hand.

"You've killed one of my men," said Johnson looking to James.

"Care to explain why he was trespassing in a security zone, Christine?" Lester challenged. "We'll send you a full report when the postmortem's in. Now, for your safety, I suggest you leave."

Christine tore her gaze away from Lester and locked it onto Sofi. She then pursed her lips and left the Ops room along with Wilder and two new security recruits.

As Christine left, Sofi pushed the intercom button on the wall and turned to Connor and Danny. They were still beyond the glass and in the middle of zipping up a body bag around the dead civilian.

"What were you looking at?" Sofi asked Connor.

"That," said Connor, pointing at the ever-growing fungus in the observation box. It looked like fungi, but its growth was exceptional.

"What is it?" Danny asked, crowding around the box.

"I don't know," said Sofi, shaking her head. She couldn't make an accurate guess just by looking.

"It must've come through an anomaly," said Connor.

"Past or future?" Danny asked.

"Does it matter?" Connor replied.

Danny shrugged. "Can you kill it?" he looked between Sofi and Connor.

Sofi shook her head. "We'd have to do some more tests," she said.

"Unless we find out how to stop it, there's going to be a lot more infected people," said Danny.

"Yes, thank you, Danny. I do realise that," said Connor.

Danny sighed and reached for the velcro tags on either side of his collar. "I got to get out of this thing," he said.

"What are you doing? Are you mad?" Connor asked. "You can't do that. When did you have biohazard training?"

"Back when I was with the police force," said Danny.

Sofi furrowed her brow. "I wasn't aware Police Detectives had biohazard training," she said.

"Well, it was a while back. What does it matter?"

"What does it matter?" Connor asked. "Of course it matters! You're -"

Sofi's eyes widened as movement behind the guys caught her attention. "Guys," she hissed, pushing away from the window. "You have to get out of there."

"What, why?" asked Danny.

A growl caused Danny and Connor to turn around. Behind them the body that had once been Johnson's man had risen like a zombie, fighting against the body bag he was now trapped in. It managed to rip a hole in the side of the back, it's fungus-covered arm slicing through the material, and ripping it apart.

"Oh my god..." Connor gasped.

The door opened and Danny turned to see Sofi leaning against it. "Come on, guys," she called. "Come on!"

Pushing against the table, Connor and Danny wheeled it into the fungus and then darted for the door. Sofi slammed it shut behind them and locked it using the panel on the wall. The fungus roared and shoved the table away before pelting at the door and smashing its fists against the metal.

The door quivered in its frame.

Danny sighed in relief and removed his hazard helmet as he, Connor and Sofi returned to the Ops room. The fungus stared at itself and then looked up at them, smashing its fists against the glass.

"It's polycarbonate glass," said Sofi, noticing the concerned look on Connor's face.

"Polycarbonated?" Connor repeated.

"Bulletproof."

Connor nodded, relaxing a little.

"What is that?" Lester asked, returning.

Sofi shrugged. "Your guess is as good as ours," she said, watching as the fungus destroyed the lab.

"Well, this could be tricky to explain to the next of kin," said Lester. "Good news, he's not technically dead. Bad news, he's turned into a mushroom. What are we going to do with it?"

Connor shook his head. "This all happened when it reacted with a saline solution," he explained.

"Well, all fungi like damp environments," said Sofi. "Why don't we try drying it out?"

"Bake the hell out of it. We'll see what happens," said Connor. He brushed past Sofi and opened the temperature panel on the wall. He rapidly hit the increase button as the others watched looked on.

But nothing happened.

"What's it at now?" Danny asked Connor.

"850."

Sofi shook her head. "I don't know of anything that can survive that level of heat," she said,

"Right, so come on, what's our Plan B?" Lester asked.

Silence followed his question as the others turned to look at him.

Lester sighed. "You know, just once, just once would be nice," he said.

900c.

1000c.

The temperature gauge continued to climb. Sofi watched as the little red numbers changed time and time again, but still, nothing seemed to be happening beyond the glass. She sighed and shared a look with Connor. They couldn't turn down the temperature, it would only allow the fungi to continue growing.

"Wait, something's happening," said Danny, drawing everyone's attention to the glass. The fungi had started to swell.

_SPLAT!_

Sofi gasped and jumped as the fungi splattered against the window.

"Result," Connor grinned, high-fiving Danny.

"At least now we know how to help the others," said Danny.

Sofi shrugged. "Yeah, I suppose," she murmured, staring at the fungi as it slid down the window. There was something that was bugging her, she just wasn't sure what it was.

"But what burns at 1000 degrees?" Cadet Lewis asked.

Connor and Danny shared a look.

"Flamethrowers," said Sofi.

"Do we have any?" Connor asked. He looked at Ryan for help.

The Captain nodded. "Lewis, Stevenson, come with me," he said, leading his men out of the room and towards the armoury.

"Come on," said Connor, taking Sofi's arm.

Sofi followed her friend out into the garage as the others were loading up one of the trucks for transport to the city. The others had called in with their location and were standing by for assistance.

"What's the matter with you?" Danny asked Sofi.

"I don't like how it exploded," said Sofi. "It's not completely gone. If the one in London explodes as that did, then the spores will still manifest and spread through the city."

"That's why we're using flamethrowers," said Connor. "We'll incinerate it."

"But that's not a foolproof way of getting rid of the spores, either," said Sofi. She shook her head. "Something's not right here. I feel like we're missing something."

"We don't have time to figure out what that is," said Connor.

"I think we should take the time!"

Connor sighed and turned to Lester. If he gave the order for them to use flamethrowers then Sofi wouldn't have a choice but to comply.

"We have to make do with what we have," said Danny. "Incinerating this thing seems like the logical solution right now."

"What if we're wrong?" Sofi challenged.

"What if we're not?"

Sofi sighed and shook her head.

"Do it," said Lester, much to Sofi's chargin.

Connor nodded and loaded the last of the boxes into the truck bed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what do you think you're doing?" Lester asked, intercepting Danny as he passed.

"What does it look like I am doing?" Danny asked, opening the passenger side door and sliding a black box onto the seat.

"Oh, yes, that's a great idea," said Lester. "Let's send the criminal out on the city streets with a flamethrower."

"I'm not a criminal," Danny defended.

"You broke in here, didn't you?" Lester asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't steal anything."

"B&E is still an offence," Sofi pointed out.

"You're splitting hairs," said Lester. "The point is, A, you should be in custody, and B, you're not part of this team."

"He's done a pretty good job for us," said Connor. "Twice."

"Three times, actually," Danny corrected.

Sofi rolled her eyes. "I'm not on board with this plan," she said. "But we need all the help we can get. I think we should trust him."

"Fantastic. You've been here five minutes, and already I've got a mutiny on my hands," said Lester. "Do you know how to use that thing?"

"Well, no, but I mean, how hard can it be?" Danny asked.

Lester heaved a sigh and looked around at the others. "Right, he goes, you two geniuses stay here," he said, pointing at Connor and Sofi.

"You're kidding," Connor whined. "I so wanted to fire this."

"Find a way to stop this thing before it infects anyone else," Lester said, his voice rising.

Sofi nodded and headed back into the ARC. She could hear Danny peeling out of the garage as Lester called after him about insurance.

**~X~**

Connor sighed heavily and braced himself against the windowsill looking into the lab. The flowers that Abby had grown overnight were covered in black and grey spores, just like the rest of the lab. "Look at those flowers," he said to Sofi as she joined him. "Abby is so going to kill me."

"I think she will understand," said Sofi.

Connor nodded numbly. "Wait, is that -?" he paused and groaned. "Sid!"

"How did he get in there?" Sofi asked.

Connor shrugged and slipped back into his biohazard suit. "I have no idea, but now I have to go back in," he complained.

"Be careful!" Sofi called. She turned back to the glass and watched as her friend entered the lab. He hurried over to the far side of the room and climbed up on the cupboard, reaching into the via duct for Sid. Sofi's breath hitched as Connor slipped, knocking over a vial of saline solution. The tube shattered as it hit the floor, sending glass scattering across the tiles and the solution was soaked into the ash, causing it to climb the cupboard like mould.

Connor's eyes widened and he looked up at Sofi.

"Connor, get out of there now!" Sofi called, placing the palm of her hand against the glass.

Connor shook his head as he watched the fungi climb up the cabinets towards him. "Looks like you were right, Sof" he called. "The spores aren't dead. It's like they're hibernating."

"Given the current circumstances, I don't feel good about being right. Just get out of there so we can deal with this situation."

"I can't. If I open the doors now it's going to spread out into the ARC."

Sofi sighed. "Then we have to figure out how to destroy, and fast, if you stay in there for too long, you'll end up like Baker," she said.

"Well, logically, if fire and heat don't kill it..." Connor met Sofi's gaze with wide eyes. "Turn the temperature gauge down to as low as it will go."

"Are you crazy?!" Sofi cried. "I can't do that with you still in there! You'll freeze!"

"It's the only way," said Connor, shaking his head. "Do it."

Sofi hesitated and then sighed, frustratingly. She pulled the panel down, revealing the temperature gauge, and started to lower the temperature slowly.

"What's the matter now?" Lester asked, wandering over with Ryan.

"I told you we should've taken the time to figure out what we were missing," said Sofi. "Now there's a chance that Connor could freeze to death, and if Danny incinerates that fungus in London, we're screwed. Jayden," she turned to her best friend. "Call Jenny. Tell them not to use the flamethrowers."

Jayden nodded and walked away.

Sofi turned back to Connor. The fungi had stopped chasing him and was retreating into the centre of the room. Connor had now slid down the wall, pressing his head into his knees and hugging them tightly in hopes of conserving body heat.

"Come on, Connor, give me a sign," Sofi muttered, as the temperature continued to drop. Frost had started to appear on all surfaces, and Sid had disappeared from the vent.

Suddenly, Connor lifted a shaky arm and gave a thumbs up.

"Get him out of there!" Ryan barked.

Two soldiers rushed into the lab and dragged Connor out into the hallway. Sofi dropped to her knees beside him and checked his pulse. It was slow and weak. "Where are those blankets," she called. "Come on!"

Jayden quickly draped an aluminium blanket over Connor, as two other soldiers did the same. Sofi tightened them around his shoulders and held them flat against his body.

"Careful," Sofi warned Lewis. "If we heat him too fast then the blood will rush back to his heart, and he'll go into cardiac arrest."

Lewis nodded and Sofi stood, joining Lester and Ryan at the door.

"What's the plan?" Lester asked.

Sofi glanced back at Connor and sighed. "If we can't burn or incinerate this thing, then the only logical plan is to freeze it," she said. "We need to get a freezing truck over to Jenny now, and keep that thing locked inside until it's completely gone."

Lester nodded at Ryan and he left to contact Becker.

**~X~**

Connor slid across the floor, stopping beside a funnel that was blowing cold air into the room. They had just heard from Danny that the freezer truck was too far out for them to contain the creature in London, and he and Jenny were on route to the ARC, the creature in tow.

"Yes!" Connor grinned. "In a few minutes, this place is going to be colder than the North Pole."

Sofi furrowed her brow. "You mean the South Pole," she said.

"What?" Connor asked.

"This place is going to colder than the South Pole," Sofi repeated. "You know since the South Pole is significantly colder than the North."

Connor cracked a smile. "Maybe you can correct me when we're not turned into mushrooms," he said.

"I don't know," said Sofi, shaking her head. "Correcting people is fun."

"It's also annoying."

Sofi gasped and followed him towards the doors. "You find me annoying?" she asked, sticking her lower lip out in a pout.

Connor rolled his eyes and steered her through the doors. "Only sometimes," he said, teasingly.

"We have a problem," said Jayden, hurrying down the hall towards them. Danny, Jenny, and the others in tow.

Sofi took in their worried faces. "Where's the creature?" she asked.

"We lost it," Danny answered.

Connor's eyes widened. "You what -?" he asked.

"At least we got it in the building," said Jenny.

"Oh, we got it in the building," said Danny. "But we don't know exactly where."

Sofi pursed her lips and turned to Connor. "We need to find it," she said. "The longer it is loose the less chance we have to kill it."

"How are we going to kill it, by the way?" Abby asked, "I'm guessing you have a plan?"

"We've dropped the temperature in the main room," said Connor. "When we find this thing, wherever it is, we need to force it down this corridor and through the doors." He pointed at the double doors over his shoulder.

"How do we do that?" Jenny asked.

"Freezing carbon dioxide," Connor answered, indicating to two silver cylinders beside him.

Danny nodded and dived for one of the cylinders.

"Whatever you do, don't let it touch you," Connor warned.

"I wasn't planning on shaking hands with it, mate," said Danny.

"Does anyone have an idea of where it's going to be hiding?" Jayden asked.

"Somewhere dark, damp, and secluded," said Sofi. "The loading docks could be a potential place."

Jayden nodded and led Danny down the hall, turning right at the end of disappearing from view.

"Right, there's two more extinguishers in the Ops area and another in my lab," said Sofi.

"Abby and I'll get the two from the Ops area," said Jenny, leading the blonde away.

Sofi looked to Connor and Ryan. "Guess you two are with me," she said, turning on her heels and disappearing into her lab. She hurried around her desk and knelt before the cupboard behind her chair.

Topaz barked from his cage.

"Here," said Sofi, rummaging around and removing containers and boxes. Right in the back, hidden from view was a silver cylinder. She dislodged it and passed it over her shoulder to Connor.

The door opened and Abby wandered in, checking the pressure on her cylinder. "How is this half-empty?" she asked, setting the cylinder on the table.

"It shouldn't be," said Sofi, standing up. "Jayden did the inventory last night and it was full. The gage could be wrong," she said, reaching for the cylinder.

The door smashed open and Danny, Becker, and Jayden toppled inside. Danny made a break for the window and slammed his fist against it, yelling Jenny's name. Realising quickly what the problem was, Sofi abandoned the carbon dioxide cylinder and pressed her hands against the glass of her lab.

Jenny was stuck in the Ops room with the creature circling her.

Removing the pin on her cylinder, Jenny pointed it at the creature and pulled the trigger, unleashing frozen air from the nozzle.

"The creature's searching for heat," said Connor, watching as the creature backed away from the spray but tried to move closer as the cylinder spluttered as it emptied.

"But it's freezing in there!" Abby exclaimed.

"It's Jenny's body heat," said Sofi. "It's drawing it towards her."

Sofi watched, her hand over her mouth as Jenny's supply of carbon dioxide run out. The older woman staggered, the cold air zapping away the little energy she had left.

"No, no, no, no. Stay on your feet, Jenny," Connor called.

"Jenny!" Abby yelled as Jenny's legs gave out and she hit the floor.

Sofi stared helplessly through the glass.

"It's going to kill her," said Connor as the creature moved in closer.

"Turn off the cold air," Danny ordered.

Sofi swallowed hard but shook her head. "We can't," she said, her voice breaking. "The creature's not dead yet."

"But Jenny's going to die if we don't," Abby argued.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Sofi yelled. "I don't want to leave her in there any more than you do! But we have one choice here - risk Jenny's life and protect thousands of lives out there, or save Jenny and risk the majority."

Abby sighed and backed off. She knew Sofi was right, but that didn't mean she had to feel good about it.

"Give me a minute," said Danny, rushing from the lab.

"Where's he going?" Connor asked.

The doors to the main ops room burst open and Danny charged in, squirting his cylinder into the air. The commotion drew the creature's attention away from Jenny and over to Danny.

As Danny drew the creature away from Jenny, he tried to fire a burst of frozen carbon dioxide at him, but the cylinder spluttered. Danny checked the nozzle and then tossed it aside, backing away from the creature as it staggered forward.

"It's working," said Connor. "The creature's freezing."

"Come on, come on!" Sofi whispered.

The creature ground to a halt and then shattered into a pile of ash on the floor.

"Go. Go, go go!" said Abby, bypassing Becker and Jayden and leading them into the main ops room.

"We got to get her out of here!" Danny called, racing over to Jenny.

"No! Don't touch her!" Connor yelled. "The only chance she's got is if the cold kills the fungus. We wait."

From behind the glass, Sofi watched with bated breath as her friends crowded around Jenny. Her mind raced a mile a minute as she conjured up different scenarios of how this could play out - of course, the main one was that Jenny had been frozen too long and was already dead, but Sofi banished the idea aside in hopes of a more hopeful one.

The ARC had already killed Nick. It couldn't kill anyone else, and especially not Jenny. Sofi could remember when Jenny joined the team, she had been sceptical of her new job position, and she most definitely didn't believe that Dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures could exist in the 21st century. Her first encounter and been mealworms from the pre-Cambrian, and her reaction to them as been as expected - fear and alarm.

"Clear the table!" Connor's voice jarred Sofi from her thoughts. He burst into the lab and shoved aside the papers, books and pens that littered Sofi's desk, apologising to the redhead as he did, and carefully moving the laptop and artefact to safety.

"We need to warm her up," said Danny, pulling off his coat.

"Not to fast," Sofi warned.

"If we don't warm her up quickly, she'll die," said Danny.

"If we warm her up too quickly, she'll die!" Sofi argued. "Get me a blanket."

Jayden helped Sofi cover Jenny in the foil blanket while Abby checked her wrist for a pulse.

"Connor, grab the oxygen mask," said Abby.

Connor did as instructed and placed the mask over Jenny's mouth and nose. He squeezed the bottle intermittently while glancing at Sofi and Abby simultaneously.

"Anything?" Becker asked.

Abby shook her head. "If she stays like this for much longer then we've lost her," she whispered.

Sofi rubbed her hands over Jenny's arms, massaging the cold out of them and helping the blood flow freely through her veins.

The minutes ticked by in silence before Abby gasped. "I've got a pulse," she breathed.

The tension in the air disappeared as Jenny took a gasp, half raising off the table. "Nick," she called, her voice weak.

Sofi took a shuddering breath. "He's gone," she said, sadly, wiping a stray tear from Jenny's face.

Jenny gave half a nod and then lay back down.

**~X~**

Sofi looked up from shuffling papers as Jenny appeared in her the doorway. She smiled and set the papers down, hiding them away inside a pink folder. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Warmer," said Jenny, stepping in the lab. She had been in the medical bay for the last three hours, receiving a thorough check-up from Samantha, and then she's requested a meeting with James.

"Good," said Sofi. "You scared us there."

Jenny watched as Sofi set up the artefact on the edge of her desk. "Abby told me what you said," she said.

Sofi paused, her back to Jenny. "Did she?" she asked.

"Yeah, and I just need you to know that you made the right call."

"I risked your life," said Sofi, turning to face the older woman.

"My life or thousands," said Jenny, shaking her head. "There was no decision, Sofi, you made the right one. Besides, I know you would've chosen it even if it hadn't have been me."

Sofi lowered her gaze.

"But, it all worked out for the best in the end," Jenny added, brightly.

"Except for the fact that this was the last straw for you," said Sofi. "You're leaving, aren't you?"

Jenny chuckled. "I'd forgotten how good you are," she said. "But, yes, I am. I've left specific instructions with Lester on who I want as my replacement."

"Danny?"

"He's good," said Jenny. "I think he'll do well, and being here may do him some good, too."

Sofi nodded. "I've always believed that no one joins the ARC with a reason, too," she said, smiling. "Nick, Stephen, you, me, and now Danny."

Jenny smiled and watched Sofi from across the desk.

"There's something else," said Sofi, catching Jenny's look, "You're not just leaving because of what happened today." She searched Jenny's face, watching as the tears welled in her eyes. "You're leaving because of Nick, aren't you?"

"The letter Nick left for you," said Jenny. "It wasn't the only thing I found, I found this, too," She held out a small square.

Sofi took it and turned it over, gasping at the image printed on the other side. "Claudia Brown," she murmured. "I can see why Nick was confused when he first met you. Why he thought you were her."

Jenny nodded. "Yeah," she murmured. "This is why I need to leave. If I stay here, I'm always going to be looking back and wondering who I am. I just want to go and try and forget about the ARC, and forget about the creatures and the anomalies. And most of all, I want to try and forget about Nick Cutter and Claudia Brown."

"You can try and forget him, Jenny, but trust me, you won't," said Sofi, sliding the image back across the table.

Jenny shook her head. "Keep it," she said, pushing the image away. "I don't want nor need it." She stood and turned to the door, pausing on the threshold and turning back to Sofi.

"Goodbye, Jenny," Sofi said, forcing a smile. "I hope you find what you're looking for."

Jenny smiled softly and then walked out.


End file.
